Illusions
by southernbabes
Summary: Ranger returns from a mission, but for some reason Stephanie doesn't have the same "tingle" she once did. Set after TBO.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to us. We'll put them back when we're finished. No money for this, only fun.

The captain's voice came across the loud speaker, "We'll be landing in Trenton, New Jersey in the next ten to fifteen minutes. The weather in Trenton is a cool 52 degrees with sunny skies. We appreciate you flying with United and look forward to serving you again in the future."

He stretched his long muscular legs, arched his back as far as he could and raised his arms above his head. Clasping his hands together, he stretched. The black T-shirt strained against his body, defining his rock hard abs, six pack stomach and well sculpted arms.

Sunlight from the small plane window glistened against his café-mocha skin, accenting his shoulder length black hair that fell loosely around his face. His coal black eyes glittered with amusement, as he heard the woman across the aisle from him let out a squeak.

He grinned smugly and thought, "Damn, it was good to be out of that hell hole and finally able to enjoy the attention of women again."

He looked over at the woman traveling with him and grinned.

"Showoff," she said, trailing her manicured nails up and down his thigh.

He shrugged his shoulders, leaned over and nipped at her neck. At first, he lazily traced hot circles with his tongue, replacing them with open mouth kisses. Then, moving slowly to her mouth, he kissed her senseless in a matter of seconds.

"Jealous?" he questioned huskily.

"Ummm…no," she moaned, a bit breathlessly. With her mind a worthless mound of mush, she felt her body reacting to the memories of the previous night.

"God," she thought, "what he does to me. I only thought Joe was a good lover, but there is no comparison."

The feelings continued to rush over her and left her panting. She would never be able to get enough of this man.

He leaned back against his seat and picked up the package that Hal had been kind enough to FedEx to him. It contained the keys to the Porsche, the remote and new security codes for the Haywood office

Hal had also included a report updating him on the current cases Rangeman was working on. There was also one very specific, very detailed report he had been waiting on.

He threw the other cases aside and picked up the report he had anxiously wanted to see. He smiled wickedly to himself. She had been busy. She was really something, a total spitfire.

He picked up the pictures that accompanied the file. She was sexy as hell. There she was in all her glory, dressed for her latest distraction job.

Flashing his 100 watt smile, he looked over at Terry, handed her the pictures and the file.

Sending shivers up her spine as he whispered in her ear, "You wanna see what my Babe's been up to?"


	2. Chapter 2

As I sat staring at the files Connie had just handed me, I blew out a sigh. I had been getting the higher end skips for the last couple of months. They were tougher wrangling, but much better money was the trade-off.

I've made a lot of changes in my life during that time. Joining a gym and working with a trainer three days a week has helped me get in shape. Ordering a veggie pizza instead of pepperoni is my one concession to health food and the only running I do is to the Tasty Pastry. I haven't turned into a health nut after all, I have my priorities.

Hal's been helping me with self-defense training. When hauling in my skips, I don't need back-up as often anymore. I feel better and I'm more confident than I've ever been in my life, except for the loneliness.

Joe and I broke up, for good. It really is the final time. He wasn't happy with my decision to go back to bounty hunting after the Slayer incident, as it's delicately referred to. We never agreed on anything, except sex, so we decided to call it quits and be friends. It was a nice surprise to discover that we could act like mature adults and get along with each other better than ever before.

My thoughts drifted back to the night, about three months ago, when I woke up and found Ranger standing in the doorway of my bedroom. It was only a few nights after the Slayers had kidnapped and beaten me. He stood there for long moments, moonlight streaming into the room, staring at me.

"Hi," I said softly as I scooted over and patted the side of the bed next to me.

He took the few steps across the room and dropped his gun belt on the floor next to the bed before he lay down beside me. Closing his eyes, he reached out and took my hand in his, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth across the back of it.

I lay quietly beside him, soaking up his warmth and breathing in the scent that was uniquely Ranger. His closeness made me feel safe and secure, a feeling that was in scarce supply lately.

After a few moments of lying next to each other and savoring the feel of his body next to mine, he began to speak softly. He told me of a debt that was being called in, an old debt he couldn't refuse. He said that he, Tank, Lester and Bobby would be leaving town, for an indeterminate length of time.

My breath caught in my throat as I thought about not only facing the days ahead without his support but about the danger he was sure to be facing. He told me to call on Hal for anything I needed while he and the guys were away.

A single, solitary tear rolled down my cheek as Ranger shifted and gathered me in his arms. Stroking my hair and holding me tightly within the circle of his arms, he sighed lightly. As he told me he was sorry to be leaving so soon after my problems with the Slayers, I could hear the worry in his voice.

He had stayed with me that night, held me tightly and imparted a sense of peace to my soul. When I woke the next morning, he was gone and so was a piece of my heart. That had been three months, two days and five hours ago. Each moment crawls.

I've missed all of them more than I wanted to admit. Well, I've missed one of them more than I wanted to admit. As I continued to stare at the file in front of me, I wondered how this experience would change him.

"Babe. Ladies."

I jumped and my file flew up in the air, papers scattering everywhere. I looked up and Ranger was standing right in front of me.

My breath caught in the back of my throat as I looked him up and down. Dressed in bad ass black as usual, he looked magnificent. Well defined muscles rippled as he flexed his hands and stood before me.

There seemed to be a few more lines around his eyes than before and his eyes, there was a look in his eyes that I'd never seen previously. His hair wasn't as long. He was wearing it down today and it barely brushed the tops of his shoulders.

He stood directly in front of me, close enough that I could smell the…not Bulgari smell of him. He raked his eyes up and down my body, lingering in spots before lifting them and staring directly into mine. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Interesting hat you're wearing," he said, lifting a hand to adjust the Seals hat on my head. As I flinched unexpectedly, he slowly lowered his hand and the smile faded away.

"Sorry, Babe, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay, I've just been a little jumpy lately. I haven't been sleeping well. Hal didn't tell me you were back. I guess I'm just a little surprised."

"I instructed him not to let you know. I thought it would be more fun this way."

Turning slightly, he looked at Connie and asked, "He in?" as he nodded his head toward Vinnie's office.

Speechless, she could only bob her head up and down.

Shifting back to me, he asked, "Wait for me?" 

As I searched his eyes for something more than I was finding, I indicated that I would.

He walked into Vinnie's office and shut the door behind him.

"Oh…My…God," squealed Lula as she was fanning herself, "I forgot just how damn hot that man is."

Connie grinned at me and said, "Steph, I thought you'd be a lot happier and a lot more excited to see Ranger when he got back."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Doesn't he seem different to you?" 

"Well, the package still looks mighty fine to me," Lula chimed in.

Connie went back to filing her nails and said, "He can still make my heart stop. Maybe he's just tired from being away for so long."

Lula shook her finger at me as she said, "I know what your problem is, girl. You've been spending too much time with that Hal dude. He's got some quirky habits and they're beginning to rub off on you."

I narrowed my eyes and stared at her while I wondered where my spidey sense was hiding. Why didn't I know he was here before he said something? It's never failed me before.

The door to Vinnie's office opened and the man in black stepped out. His eyes immediately sought mine. Nodding once to Connie and Lula, he settled his hand at the back of my neck.

"I need to see you outside, Babe."

"O-okay," I said as I gathered up my files and zipped them into my bag. Slinging it over my shoulder, I followed him.

We walked out of the building and into the alley. He pushed me up against the wall and molded his body against mine. I waited for the tingle to hit me, the tingle of being so close to him again, but it never came.

With my hands pressed against his chest, I looked intently into his gaze. Searchingly, I sought the Ranger I thought I knew so well. But he wasn't there; the only thing reflected back was emptiness.

Thoughts flew through my mind at a breakneck pace. "What could have happened to him while he was away? He's changed. There's something wrong."

I watched as he slowly lowered his head. He was going to kiss me. The thought of Ranger kissing me was usually enough to make me hyperventilate. But, this time, it wasn't doing anything for me.

Just as his lips hovered over mine, I shifted and they grazed my cheek. Slipping out from under his arm that was propped against the building at my back, I took a deep breath and turned to face him.

"So, when did you get back into town?" I asked as he looked quizzically at me.

Sighing, he straightened up and said, "I flew in this morning, Babe. After stopping off at the Haywood office, I came straight here to see you."

"How are Tank, Bobby and Lester?" I continued.

"They had to stay behind a little longer. There was still some cleanup that needed to be done. I was in a hurry to return to Trenton."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "Need any help with your skips today?"

Looking at him as he stood there before me, just like I'd dreamed of night after night, I shook my head and said, "No, I'm used to bringing most of them in by myself now."

"But, thanks for the offer," I added as he turned to leave the alley.

He looked back over his shoulder at me and with glittering black eyes, he said, "Later, Babe."

After endless days of anticipation and incessant nights of longing, I had thought I would be more thrilled to see Ranger when he returned.

Something wasn't right, something just wasn't right.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 3**_

_What is wrong with me?? I must be out of my mind, of course it's Ranger. So he's a little different. I mean I'm a little different too. Right?? I'm sure it's just that he's tired or maybe my hormones are out of whack. I mean it happens. Yeah, that's got to be it. Connie and Lula thought he was the same old Ranger._

These thoughts volleyed through my head as I pushed myself off the wall of the building and walked out of the alley. I watched as he got into his Porsche and drove away.

Damn, I'd really missed him. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, and the funny thing is _I still do._ It's like he's still gone.

I pulled myself together and walked toward my car. Tastycakes, that's what I need. Tastycakes, a pizza and Ben & Jerry's. Is it too early for beer? I looked at my watch. Nope, beer sounded good too.

I pulled out my cell phone and called Mary Lou, I needed reinforcements. I needed to figure out what was going on. If anyone could help, it was Mary Lou, she could help me figure out this mess.

Fifteen minutes later, I opened my apartment door, loaded down with Tastycakes, Ben & Jerry's, Pino's and beer. What more could a girl ask for?

Well, maybe a Ranger induced orgasm. No, I wasn't even going to go there. I frowned. It seemed like my hormones were still working. Whenever I thought about him, I got a warm tingly feeling all over, especially in certain places. I shook off my bad vibes and walked toward the kitchen.

I put the Ben & Jerry's in the freezer, the beer in the fridge and headed toward my bedroom. That's when I saw it.

Sitting on my coffee table was a small package with a note attached. A single word was written on the outside of the note, _**BABE**_. I swallowed hard. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I walked over and picked up the package, quickly tearing away the wrapping, to display a small black jewelry case.

I carefully opened it and pulled out an antique gold heart-shaped locket. It was ornate in design and simply beautiful. I carefully opened it, and found two pictures inside, two sweet pictures of Ranger as a baby. He was adorable. My heart swelled, and I felt tears well in my eyes. I picked up the note and began to read,

_**Babe,**_

_**You've had my heart for a long time now. It took leaving you to realize what I might stand to lose. This last mission changed me in many ways, but it only made my love for you grow stronger. I'm through playing games. I want you to know that I'm in love with you, that I want a life with you. This locket belonged to my mother. She was a lot like you and I know she would've wanted you to have it. I know I do. Please give me a chance, Babe. Please give us a chance. **_

_**R**_

I watched as my tears fell on the note, my heart pounding in my head. He loved me. I sank down on the couch, the locket still in my hand.

He said he loved me. He wrote it down on paper. He couldn't even deny it. No where did it say _"in his own way"_. He had put all his cards out on the table.

I looked around the room, my eyes racing from one end to the other like a scared rabbit. Where the hell was Mary Lou?? I jumped off the couch, and ran toward the freezer. I needed ice cream.

I was just finishing off my second carton of Ben & Jerry's when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to find Mary Lou on the other side.

"He says he loves me . . . He loves me. He wrote it down," I babbled, pushing the note toward her.

"Who? Who loves you? Joe . . . did Joe write you note? Why would Joe write you a note?" Mary Lou asked, with a confused look on her face.

She walked over to the couch and plopped down, reading the note in a matter of minutes. I watched as the color drained from her face.

"Omigod!! The Wizard loves you. Oh Steph, I would die. Really I would just die . . . imagine the sex." She paused. I could see her thoughts play out over her face. I knew what she was thinking, sex with Ranger.

"Shit! I think I'm going to faint . . ." Mary Lou said, leaning back against the couch, fanning herself with the note.

I handed her what was left of the Ben & Jerry's carton. She took it and started shoveling the ice cream into her mouth. We were both silent for several seconds.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, looking at me, her eyes as big as saucers.

"I don't know. You see. I . . . I don't get tingly around him any more?" I stammered.

Mary Lou looked at me like I'd just announced my candidacy for President. "Huh?" she said, shaking her head.

"I saw him today, for the first time in months. My body didn't react to him. I didn't get tingles," I said, throwing my hands up in the air. "I didn't even know he was there until he was right in front of me."

I looked over at Mary Lou. She still had the same blank stare.

I let out a deep sigh. Tears started leaking out of my eyes. Mary Lou stood up and walked over to me and pulled me into her arms. She hugged me tight, then pulled back and looked at me with a glint in her eyes.

"First of all missy, you've been holding back on me." She said, in her best Burg voice.

I started to argue, but she held up her hand stopping me before I could utter a word. "And don't you dare try and deny it," she said walking over to the refrigerator. She pulled out two beers, handed one to me and motioned for me to take a seat on the couch.

"Never once have you mentioned to me that you were in love with Ranger. Never once, have you confided that you'd slept with him, and never once have you mentioned that you get tingles," she finished, raising an eyebrow.

"But . . . I'm not . . . It only happened once . . . I never," I stammered, knowing from the gleam in her eye, that I'd better come clean, and quick.

She cocked her head to one side, raised both eyebrows and motioned for me to spill it. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and did just that.

"I don't know if I'm in love with him, I've never really thought about it. Yes, I slept with him once, one incredible mind-blowing night, and after that I started to tingle every time he was around. I know he's in the room, before I see him. My whole body goes on full alert every time he is within two feet of me.

"I swear it's like my hormones can't forget, hell I can't forget. He's so good to me. He's never asked one thing of me, but he trusted me with his life, when he was FTA. I've blown up his cars, destroyed his men, and cost him a fortune in bodyguard expenses.

"Still, he's always there for me. He believes in me. He wants me to fly," I added, softly.

Mary Lou smiled, "That's what love is Steph. Don't you know, sweetie? You think I married Lenny for his excellent conversation, or maybe it was his great job," she said, rolling her eyes.

"No, it was because he made me tingle. He made my hormones go on full alert every time he got within two feet of me. He believed in me, he adored me, and in the end, I saw that's all I needed. Looks like you found that too. You just need to go after it," she finished, smiling at me.

"Okay. I see what you saying, but explain this to me. Why did it stop? Why didn't my hormones go wild today when he was close? He tried to kiss me today, and I turned my head. He looked like Ranger, but he didn't feel like Ranger," I said, thinking that maybe I'd finally lost my mind.

"I think your hormones are just fine. I think it's that stubborn brain of yours that is getting in the way. Ranger's not burg. You know that your Mom will have a fit. She will rant and rave and scream about you being with someone that is not from here. Same with Joe. He knows you two are over, but he won't be pleased that you've hooked up with Ranger. I think you are trying to back away from him so you can be safe," she said, acting very proud of herself.

"Well, thank _you_, Dr. Phil. Maybe you should get your own radio show," I pouted. "I do not try to protect myself from my mother and Joe."

Mary Lou raised her eyebrow and cocked her head again.

I threw a throw pillow at her. She burst out laughing and eventually I joined her.

_Maybe she was right. I was the queen of denial, what better way to deny my feelings for Ranger than to pretend he didn't affect me. I mean he told me there was only one of him. He didn't have a twin, so it had to be Ranger. Right?_

He walked into the seventh floor apartment and threw the keys in the dish. Terry was stretched out on the couch wearing a very skimpy negligee that accented her _very perfect_ boobs.

He smiled as he walked toward her.

"How'd it go?" she asked as she reached up and grabbed his hand. She pulled him down next to her on the couch.

"Not as well as I'd hoped," he said. As he ran his hands along her shoulders and down her arms, he leaned in to kiss her hungrily.

"What happened?" she moaned, breathless from the kiss.

"I can't put my finger on it, but she didn't respond to me like she should have," he said, pulling her onto his lap.

Terry grinned, "She's just confused. She wasn't expecting you. I mean, Joe and I screwed around for years, behind her back and she never suspected a thing. He was with me more than her.

"She's really not that bright. I don't know why he wants her anyway," She said, rocking her body against him, feeling him grow hard beneath her.

"Mmm . . . me either, not if he could've had you. There's just no comparison," he said, pulling the negligee over her head and exposing her perfect body. He ran his tongue over her nipples, pulling one into his mouth causing her to rub against him even harder.

Pulling his shirt over his head, she threw it to the side and ran her hands over him. Biting, licking and sucking her way down his chest, she began to feverishly tug his pants off. He lifted her out of the way and kicked them off.

He pulled her back over him and slid his hand between them. One finger found her more than ready for him. Another finger joined the first and she began to shudder.

Removing his hand, he guided her over him. Slowly, he worked her farther and farther down onto him, hardened by the want and need of this woman.

Pausing for a moment to savor the feel of her joined to him, he then began to pump in and out of her. Gently, slowly at first and then, as his control began to slip, he pumped harder and faster.

"Ra . . . please . . . God . . . don't stop," Terry begged as she pushed him deeper into him, squeezing with all her power. Screams burst forth from her, as they tumbled over the edge together.

As their breathing returned to normal, she snuggled even closer into his chest and asked, "What are we going to do if Stephanie doesn't fall for you? I mean, our whole payback depends on you being able to seduce her."

He grinned, "Oh, babe, don't you worry. I'll be able to seduce her . . . I've already got Plan B in motion. She'll be in my bed, before the end of the week."

"Now, how about round two?" he added, picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

Illusions

**Chapter 4**

Two hours later, I poured Mary Lou in a cab and sent her home to Lenny.

We had decided that I should definitely give Ranger a chance. Of course, it took two more cartons of Ben & Jerry's, a Pino's pizza and six beers, to come to this decision. But in the end, I was sure it was the right one.

I staggered to the bathroom,washed my face and brushed my teeth. I pulled a T-shirt over my head and fell into bed.

Suddenly, I woke up in a cold sweat. Someone was in the room with me. I tried to move but I couldn't. All I could think was that I was going to die and I'd left a full tub of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer.

Hoping against all hope that I was just imagining things, I slowly opened my eyes. When I felt a hand touch my shoulder, I screamed. I tried to get up out of the bed, but was thrown back down by my intruder.

"Shhh, Babe, it's me," he said and turned on the light.

I squinted in the brightness. My heart was still pounding in my chest. Of all the times Ranger had visited me in the middle of the night, this was the only time he had scared me to death.

What was wrong with me? Had my spidey senses gone on vacation? Was I losing my Batman radar? Why now, of all times, were my special powers leaving me. I mean, Ranger and the guys had ESP and they could pick locks. I had my spidey sense, my instinct. Now it was gone too. I sighed. My life sucks.

"Hi," I said, softly. "What are you doing here?"

He sat down on my bed and looked at me with dark chocolate eyes.

"I didn't hear from you. I wanted to know if you got my gift," he said, softly.

"Umm . . . Yes, I got it. It's very beautiful." I said, taking his hand in mine.

"Well . . ."he said, looking at me intently.

"Well . . ."I stammered, unsure of what to say. I mean, there's no tingle.

He blew out a sigh and pulled his hand away from me. He got up off the bed and walked toward the door shaking his head.

"Just forget it, Babe."

I jumped out of the bed and ran toward him.

Tripping on the pile of clothes on my floor, I fell ever so gracefully at his feet. He reached down and picked me up. Pulling me close to him, he kissed me right above my ear.

I pulled back and looked up at him. As I gazed into his eyes, I felt my heart skip a beat. Not quite a tingle, but close.

It was like what I feel around Joe. Joe? Where the hell did that thought come from?

"Don't go, please don't go," I said, pressing my body against his.

"Shhh...I'm not going anywhere, not if you want me to stay. This does mean you want me to stay, doesn't it?" he asked, his eyes boring into mine.

"Yes," I said, pulling him back toward the bed.

I climbed in first and motioned for him to join me. He stripped down to a pair of black silk boxers and climbed in beside me. I scooted around until I was facing him.

"Did you mean what you said, about giving us a chance?" I asked, tracing my finger around his jaw.

"Yeah," he replied huskily.

I leaned in and brushed my lips softly across his. He pulled me in closer tracing my lips with his tongue, and finally plunging into my mouth kissing me with so much passion I thought I would die. I felt my body start to react. Through a hormone induced haze, I mentally scolded myself for ever doubting this was Ranger.

He pulled away from the kiss, his eyes heavily lidded with desire.

"Wow, you're really something else," he said as he traced his hands down my arms.

Lightly skimming my breast, his touch caused a slow burn in my belly. As he beamed his wolf grin at me, he added, "I think sleep is good for tonight, babe. Let's take this slow."

I nodded in agreement, snuggling into his arms. I was fast asleep in minutes.

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Meanwhile . . .

Ranger watched as the helicopter hovered over the small opening in the jungle.

Thank God the DEA was sending in reinforcements. Maybe now, he and the guys would be released from this Godforsaken mission soon. He watched as the chopper landed. A man about his size and build jumped down and strode across the clearing. He had blonde hair and green eyes, and was grinning from ear to ear.

Clapping him on the back as they shook hands, Ranger said, "Man, I'm glad to see you. But, what the hell took you so long?"

Gentry looked over at his old friend and smirked, "Oh, well, you know me I was out chasing bad girls gone wild all night long. Whew!! They just about wore me out. But I met one in particular and she's really hot! Her name's Lois. I gave her that Hell test you sent me and her score was off the charts.

Ranger laughed and shook his head. Gentry had always been a hell raiser. They had been friends since birth. "You'll never settle down, will you?"

"Oh hell no, I'm having too much damn fun. Besides, I met one for you, too. She's a real hottie. She's got a thing for handcuffs and showers. Her name is Rae. They're both back in Miami. I told them we'd give them a call when we got back," he said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Thanks, Gentry, but I don't think so. My party days are over. However, I'm sure you could interest Lester in a little partying when we get back."

Gentry shook his head and smiled slyly. "What's her name?" he asked.

The blank look slid into place on Ranger's face and he replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The hell you don't Ricardo, tell that shit to someone else. I know your reputation, or what it used to be. I know what you like. I'm telling you, Rae is something you'd definitely like. Long legs, silky hair, and big beautiful eyes, hot is an understatement. She has seven different kinds of handcuffs, seven!" Gentry said, as he zoned out for a long moment.

Ranger's eyes glazed over, but for different reasons. The mere mention of handcuffs reminded him of his Babe. God, how he missed her.

"GENTRY! GENTRY! Get your ass back on this chopper and help me unload these supplies right now! What do you think I am a pack mule?"

Ranger looked back at the chopper. Standing in the door was a petite blonde bombshell, her hands were on her hips and her eyes were shooting daggers. It was Gentry's sister, Tiina. She worked part time as a flight nurse with the DEA. She was one of the smallest badasses in the country. She'd shoot you as soon as look at you, especially if you gave her any trouble. She saw Ranger and her eyes lit up. She jumped down out of the chopper and ran toward him.

"Hey sweetheart, is this brother of yours still giving you a hard time?" Ranger asked, wrapping his arms around her.

She cupped his face in her hands, pulled him down and planted a big sloppy kiss right on his lips. Smiling, she said, "I told him I was going to work for you if he didn't start treating me better." She reached over and slapped Ranger on the butt. "More perks," she added, winking at him.

Ranger threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, no . . . you're not going to get me killed. How is my little brother? I can't believe he let you out of his sight so close to the wedding."

Tiina's face lit up at the mention of her fiance.

"He understands me, that this is what I do. He would never try to stop me. You know I love him, but please, no man is going to tell me what to do."

"Ric's in love," Gentry teased.

Tiina rolled her eyes and punched Gentry on the arm.

"Well, duh . . . tell me something I don't know," she said, focusing her attention on Ranger. "How is Stephanie? Have you told her yet?"

Surprise spread slowly across Ranger's face, "How . . . What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on Ric, I've know you since we were both in diapers. She's the only woman you've ever talked about that caused your eyes to glaze over. Not even Kim could do that, and you married her," Tiina said.

"Speaking of Kim," Gentry interrupted, frowning. "Well, not exactly Kim, but her ex-boyfriend."

Ranger's face suddenly froze. "What about Rhys?"

"He's out. I saw him about a week ago. He said that he just got out of prison and he was headed back east. He told me he had met someone that was going to help him get his life back on track," Gentry continued. "It still freaks me out that you two look so much alike. I mean its damn right frightening."

Anger slowly spread across Ranger's face.

Rhys was out of prison. Why hadn't he been warned? Why the hell was he headed back east? He hadn't been to Trenton in years.

Ranger needed to get in touch with Hal and he needed to do it fast.

"What is it, man?" Gentry asked. "Did I say something wrong? You don't think Rhys is going to try and get revenge, do you? I mean it was all a big fucked up mistake anyway. It all happened a long time ago. I mean, you didn't know."

Ranger looked at Gentry, "Yeah, he's going after me. Rhys swore to me that he would get even. He said I destroyed his life, took the only woman he ever loved. He swore he'd make me pay. And as you know, the Manoso men mean what they say. I have to get in touch with my office in Trenton. Do you have communication access?"

Tiina shook her head, "As soon as we landed, they cut the lines. They don't want the drug lords to suspect anything. We should able to get another signal by next week."

Ranger closed his eyes and sighed. Next week may be too late.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

_He pulled away from the kiss, his eyes heavy lidded with desire, "Wow, you're something else." He traced his hands down my arms, barely skimming my breast, causing a slow burn in my belly. As he grinned his wolf grin, he added, "I think sleep is good for tonight, babe. Let's take this slow."_

_I nodded in agreement, snuggling into his arms. I was fast asleep in minutes. _

Illusions

_**Chapter 5**_

Waking to the sun streaming through my windows, I rolled over right into a hard, warm and firmly muscled wall. From the looks of it, Ranger was still sleeping soundly. He was completely unaware of my movements.

I propped myself on my elbow and peered over him at the clock. Ten-thirty!

With a puzzled look, I glanced back at him. That's odd, Ranger is usually up by now. He should have already been for a run and conducted several hours of business.

I scooted away from him and climbed out of the bed. Mother Nature was screaming.

Thirty minutes, and two Advil later, I was sitting in the kitchen finishing my first cup of coffee. The Cuban sleeping beauty decided to make his entrance about then.

Curiously, I watched as he stumbled across the living room and made his way to the kitchen. His hair was tousled and his eyes were still half closed with sleep.

"Good Morning," I said, in a cheery voice. Considering how my head was throbbing from the night before, it was an effort.

"Hrrmph," he mumbled and plopped down beside me at the table.

"Coffee…black…please," he managed to slur out as he tried to focus his eyes.

"Do you have any donuts? I'm starving. Or maybe a poptart," he muttered as he laid his head down on the table.

Dumbfounded, I sat and stared at him. Disbelief flooded over me as my mouth hung open.

Who was this man? First, no tingle. Now, he wants coffee and donuts. A poptart, for Heaven's sake…I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs that were becoming thicker and stickier inside my fogged brain.

I slammed my coffee cup down on the table to get his attention.

"What the fuck?" he yelled, coming up out of his chair. "What is wrong with you?"

"Who are you?" I yelled back. "Who are you and what have you done with Batman?"

He looked at me with bewilderment in his eyes, swiftly followed by shock and dismay.

Sitting back down in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. Anger flared in his eyes, and for a split second, I was truly afraid of this man.

But the Burg girl in me came rushing to the forefront and I glared back at him. I was unwilling to back down, although my gut told me to run and not look back.

"Babe," he silkily said, his eyes turning into melted chocolate. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm not acting like myself."

"Well, that's an understatement," I said wryly.

He reached over and picked up my hands and sighed heavily.

"This last mission was tough. In fact, it was probably one of the worst. I came…we all came, so close to not making it back out alive.

"Anyway, Tank and the guys are in a decompression program right now. It's a place where you can come to grips with what happened, a way to assimilate ourselves back into civilian life again.

"I usually go through it also. But this time I skipped it. I had to get back to you. I couldn't wait to tell you how I felt about you. I didn't want another day to pass without you knowing.

"All the bullshit is catching up with me now. There's something else I need to tell you about me. Not many people know this and you can't breathe a word of it to anyone," he paused and pinned me with a serious look.

Not sure of the revelation about to be revealed to me, I held my breath and nodded once.

Satisfied with what he saw in my face, he continued, "I'm a recovering junk food junkie.

"It's true," he said, in a grave and somber tone.

I sat there for a moment. Trying to make sense of what I just heard. Then I burst out laughing. _Ranger is a recovering junk food junkie?_

"It's not funny," he said, a little miffed. There was no smile, not even a hint of a grin.

"After missions like this, I tend to revert to my old lifestyle. For a couple of days at least, that is. I guess that's what I'm doing now," he added as he sighed heavily.

I reached over and kissed him lightly.

"I understand completely. Now, let me get you that poptart."

"What are your plans for today?" he asked, following me to the cabinet.

"Not much, unless Connie got in some new files," I said as I handed him a chocolate frosted poptart.

He tore open the wrapper and took a big bite out of the poptart. Closing his eyes, he moaned…over a poptart.

This was just plain spooky. If I suddenly developed a craving for tofu, you could just bet money that we'd slipped off into the Twilight Zone.

"Why don't we take the day off and drive to Philly? I need to check in with the office there. Then we can spend the rest of the day together," he said as he finished up the poptart and smiled widely at me.

"Hmmmm….you know, that actually sounds like a great idea. How soon do you want to leave?" I asked.

"Well, I'll go home to shower and change. Then I'll swing back by and pick you up, let's say, in an hour?" he asked.

I nodded. He pulled me to him and kissed me gently.

"Oh, and pack an overnight bag. We might stay over until tomorrow," he grinned at me suggestively.

I grinned back at him and then he was like the wind.

Watching his ass as he walked out the door, I tilted my head to one side in puzzlement. I had just noticed that he was not armed. No guns. Not one. Hmmm, wonder what the hell that was all about.

_Tiina shook her head, "As soon as we landed, they cut the lines. They don't want the drug lords to suspect anything. We should be able to get another signal by next week."_

_Ranger closed his eyes and sighed. Next week may be too late._

_**Meanwhile...**_

Ranger paced restlessly back and forth in front of the fire. Everyone else had turned in for the night but sleep was eluding him as he worried about his long lost twin, Rhys.

Why the hell was he headed to Trenton?

He ran his fingers through his hair, the tie tossed away long ago.

Shaking his head, he berated himself.

How had it gotten this bad? He had been so close to his brother growing up. Theirs was a special bond, one that only twins seem to have. He'd missed him these past few years, missed his companionship and his love.

One freakin' misunderstanding and their whole relationship had come crashing down around them. He tried to make him understand. He implored Rhys to let him explain.

Kim had pleaded with Rhys. She had begged him to grasp that it was all a case of mistaken identity, to realize that nothing happened.

Rhys had refused to listen to either of them and had left town shortly after that. At first, he had disappeared without a trail. Ranger had tried to find him, but was unsuccessful.

Six weeks later, Kim had discovered she was pregnant. Ranger had thought he was doing the right thing by marrying her. He didn't love Kim, but he wanted his brother's child to have their family name. He did what he thought was the honorable thing.

Suddenly, his head came up and he stopped his pacing. Bobby. Bobby has a cell phone with him. His sister is due to deliver her baby any day now. He's expecting a text message as soon as there's news.

Striding off in the direction of Bobby's tent, Ranger was a determined man on a mission of information.

The connection was terrible. The signal kept fading in and out and he was taking a chance on his transmission being discovered by the drug lords.

Finally, on his third attempt Hal answered the phone at the Rangeman offices in Trenton. With the static and the broken words, the conversation was more than frustrating. And, in one of those quirks of cell phone communications it seemed that one side of the exchange was clearer than the other.

"Hal, Hal, can you hear me?" Ranger yelled. "This is Ranger."

Across the miles, across the continents, Hal recognized the cell phone number as Bobby's. The noise on the line prevented him from hearing clearly. Only fragments of words were understandable.

Hal could only hear bits and pieces of the sentence, "crackle hiss…is Ranger…cracklehisscrackle?" He thought Bobby was asking if Ranger was in the office.

"No, no he's not here. He's gone to Philadelphia with Stephanie. They'll be gone overnight. I don't know if you can hear me, but they're staying over together. I think he's going to tell her he loves her. I'm going to hang up now, because I can't hear anything you're saying. Call me back when you have a better signal."

If he could have crawled through that phone, Ranger would have gladly strangled Hal in that moment.

Now, here he was, stuck in this godforsaken jungle and Rhys was already in Trenton. Rhys was taking Stephanie to Philadelphia for the night. What the hell was going on?

His mind was racing as he tried to discern why. He thought he knew how Rhys' mind worked. He had an idea what Rhys was up to and it scared him. Like nothing he had ever encountered in his life, this frightened him.

Would the bond between Ranger and Stephanie be strong enough? Would she know the difference between the two of them? Would Rhys' touch make her body sing with anticipation? Would she be able to stop him if she thought he was Ranger? Would she want to stop him?

One woman had already mistaken them for each other with dire consequences. Was this blunder about to be repeated?

With these thoughts swirling through his head, Ranger sat down heavily on the ground. His hands clasped between his knees, he looked up at the dark canopy of vegetation that hung over his head. It had crept and grew until it was too thick to see the starlight and moonlight from above. He felt as if it had also just crept over his heart blocking out the light his soul was anchored to.

Lowering his head, he prayed that he could get to Stephanie in time.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 6**_

"_Why don't we take the day off and drive to Philly? I need to check in with the office there. Then we can spend the rest of the day together," he said as he finished up the poptart and smiled widely at me._

_Watching his ass as he walked out the door, I tilted my head to one side in puzzlement. I had just noticed that he was not armed. No guns. Not one. Hmmm, wonder what the hell that was all about._

Ranger was so _relaxed_. I don't know how else to describe him. I've never seen this face of the man. He's talkative and flirty. A girl could really have her head turned by all this attention.

Deciding that three coats of mascara was enough, I stepped back and looked at myself in the full length mirror. Smoky eyes and red lipstick completed the effect I was going for tonight.

The dress I was wearing was a gift from Ranger. When we arrived at the hotel suite this afternoon, he had presented me with a big box. Inside was a beautiful dress, shoes and a pair of silky, sexy thong panties for a night out on the town.

In a blue that matched my eyes, it hugged my breasts lovingly before falling softly away and swirling around my hips. My silver strappy four inch sandals made my legs look great. I twirled once in the mirror before sighing happily with the image that stared back at me.

This last mission he went on must have been a doozy. It's like he came home a completely different man. I don't know what happened to change him but I was really enjoying his company.

The ride to Philadelphia from Trenton had passed swiftly. We had chatted and laughed the whole trip. Ranger had entertained me with jokes and anecdotes. He has a really wicked sense of humor.

After our trip to the Rangeman offices for him to briefly check on things there, we had spent the afternoon walking through Elfreth's Alley admiring the trinity style homes.

I suspected he didn't really have any business here. The idea that he wanted to spend time with me made me blush. This was everything I'd ever wanted. Wasn't it? A frown marred my features as I wondered why I wasn't more excited about the prospect of a real date with Ranger.

After the short stop at the office, we had spent some time at Penn's Landing along the Delaware River, listening to music and observing the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Battleship New Jersey. It was a delightful afternoon. Ranger was an amazing companion. He was full of knowledge about the area and was a great tour guide, insightful and entertaining.

Instead of staying at the Rangeman apartment, we were in a suite at the Rittenhouse Hotel. Lavishly appointed with mahogany furniture and lush fabrics, it was the most exquisite room I had ever seen.

I wasn't sure I would ever leave the bathroom with its oversized tub and luxurious amenities. This room was totally self-indulgent. Sharing a suite with Ranger felt a little decadent. I knew he was setting the scene for a seduction, my seduction.

Hoping I could keep my hormones in check and not embarrass myself, I picked up my shawl from the foot of the bed. Realizing that tonight could be the night that my dreams came true, I turned to the door.

Stepping into the outer room of the suite, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of the man before me. Looking very elegant in an Armani tux that fit perfectly, for a span of several heartbeats he was oblivious that I was there. It was unusual for him not to notice.

I seized the opportunity to observe him unaware. As he stood before the windows gazing out at the city, I was struck by the melancholy mood that seemed to emanate from him. The urge to comfort him almost overwhelmed me.

Tossing back the remainder of the whiskey in the glass he was holding, he turned. Startled by the sight of me, I had a glimpse of the pain and shadows in his eyes before it was quickly masked.

"Babe," he said as he carefully set down his glass and started toward me. "You're a vision of breathtaking loveliness in that dress."

As he drew closer, he held out his hand. Placing my hand in his, he twirled me around and spun me into his arms where he held me tightly. As he looked into my eyes, his hand came up and his thumb gently caressed the line of my jaw.

A shiver ran down my spine as I stared at him. His eyes were fastened on my lips as I licked them nervously.

"R...R...Ranger," I stammered. "Shouldn't we be leaving for the restaurant now?"

As if jerked from a trance, his eyes lifted to mine. I had a moment of discomfort as his gaze searched mine. It was gone as swiftly as it came and I thought I had imagined it.

Slowly he smiled and nodded. Then he kissed me lightly on the lips and said, "Let's go to dinner. I'm going to wine you and dine you tonight, Babe. This is our special night."

A shiver ran down my spine at the look in his eyes. I hoped I was up to a _special_ night with Ranger. I couldn't decide what was up with the conflicting feelings and emotions I was having. I liked him a lot and enjoyed his company immensely, but he just didn't turn me on like he used to.

We arrived at Le Bec-Fin for dinner and were shown into a private dining room. The food was as exquisite as the service and our surroundings. When dessert arrived, Ranger scooted his chair closer to mine and took the silver spoon from my fingers.

Scooping up a bite of the Praline Napoleon and Caramel ice cream, he fed it to me. Captivated, I sat mesmerized as he leaned forward and licked the drip of ice cream from the corner of my mouth.

The heat that was supposed to wash over me at that action should have caused me to pass out. Things low in my body should have clenched and tightened. My nipples should have stood at attention and begged for consideration.

Fascinated by what wasn't happening to me, I sat there and stared at him as I wondered where my attraction for this amazing man had fled.

_Oh my god, _I thought wildly, _what was happening to us? My body didn't recognize him and my soul didn't either._

_**Rhys' POV**_

The thought of ruining Ranger's woman and their relationship was the only thing that had helped me survive these last months in prison. And now, here I was, in a hotel room with the scene set for temptation.

She thinks I'm Ranger. It'll be a piece of cake to seduce her. Then when he returns, he'll know how it feels. He'll know the pain and hurt that accompanies such betrayal by those you care about the most.

As I stood looking out the window over the city, I wondered when and where my determination to see this through had taken flight. Today had shown me the lively, vibrant woman that Ranger loves. Hell, I could fall in love with her too. She's amazing, so full of life, funny and kind.

Wondering what I was going to do about this, I was startled by a sound behind me. I turned and an image of exquisite beauty and charm stood before me and I felt my heart flip over.

"Babe," I said as I carefully set down my glass and started toward her. "You're a vision of breathtaking loveliness in that dress."

As I drew closer, I held out my hand. She placed her hand in mine and I twirled her around, spun her into my arms where I held her tightly. As I looked into her eyes, my hand came up and my thumb gently caressed the line of her jaw.

She stared helplessly at me and licked her lips nervously. The urge to kiss her was overwhelming.

As I began to lean toward her, she asked, "R...R...Ranger, shouldn't we be leaving for the restaurant now?"

Startled from my thoughts, I looked into her eyes and saw the confusion as it chased through them. As my resolve returned and my determination to see this thing through came back, I nodded and smiled.

Kissing her lightly on the lips, I said, "Let's go to dinner. I'm going to wine you and dine you tonight, Babe. This is our special night."

_Seducing her is going to be so easy_, I thought to myself as we left for the restaurant. _She doesn't stand a chance to resist me._

_**Meanwhile...**_

Ranger picked up the cell phone and sent Hal a text message. Sitting and waiting for Hal to respond, Ranger thought about Rhys and Stephanie.

Rhys was trying to seduce Stephanie. Ranger knew that's what was happening just as surely as if he was there watching it play out before him. Rhys was out to extract his revenge for the wrong he felt had been perpetrated against him by Ranger and Kim. He had refused to listen to the truth or to reason. Instead, he had gone off half-cocked and landed in prison.

As the cell phone vibrated in his hands to indicate an incoming message, Ranger jumped up and pushed the buttons to bring it up.

"What the…" he swore silently as he read the text message now appearing on the phone.

"_TALK TO SEXY, SINGLE WOMEN RIGHT AWAY. Chat as much as you want. Full access for 7 days. Thousands of women are waiting for you. Check us out on the web."_

With a growl, Ranger drew his gun. Just before he shot the phone, he remembered that it was, currently, his only link to the outside world. As he sat back down, he thought to himself, _I'm sitting in the middle of a fucking jungle. While my brother is trying to seduce the woman I love and I am waiting on an important message, I get spam, fucking spam. When I get out of this godforsaken place, I'll shoot it. Then I'll hunt down the damn spammer and shoot him too._

Suddenly, gunfire exploded from the north edge of the camp. The perimeter guards gave a shout and there was a burst of activity. Team members poured out of the tents strapping on weapons as they ran.

Confusion reigned. In the darkness of the night, Ranger's team had been caught unaware by the drug cartel troops. Inside a computer center far away, someone had managed to pinpoint their location when Ranger used Bobby's cell phone. A group was swiftly deployed from the factory located close by to neutralize the threat.

Gunshots rang out in the shadows as Ranger's team strategically placed themselves around the camp and fought back. At the first shot, Ranger had dropped to the ground. Crawling to the edge of the clearing on his elbows, he used his training and his senses to assess the situation.

His team was comprised of only seasoned fighters. He knew he could count on them. As he began to pinpoint the location of his people, a plan was forming in the back of his mind. He just needed to get to Gentry to put it into action and take these guys out.

As Ranger rose from his position on the ground, he heard the sound that was often the last one a man heard in a situation like this, the click of a gun being cocked. As the sweat beaded on his upper lip, he very carefully laid his gun down on the rock next to him. Slowly, he turned to face the person holding a gun to his head.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to)

Chapter 7

Ranger looked at his captor and sighed. Damn. This was so not good. He thought.

"Fuck! You just got lucky!" He said, picking up his gun tucking it into the waistband of his pants.

Rae cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh Really, boss? I mean wasn't it you that taught "You need to be more aware of your surroundings 101"? I don't call getting close enough to put a gun to someone's head luck. I'd call that skill."

"Yeah, well it seems like you have several skills, for instance, you never told me you had seven different kinds of handcuffs," Ranger smirked.

"You never asked," Rae winked. "Besides, you only have eyes for a certain bounty hunter."

Suddenly Rae threw herself at Ranger knocking him to the ground, firing her gun at one of the snipers above them. She rolled off of Ranger, and screamed, "Get busy, your ass started this, know we need to finish it!"

Shots rang out from every direction. Ranger took in the area surveying the area within a matter of seconds. He spotted two snipers to their right and one to their left. Shit this was not good. He could hear Gentry barking orders in the background. He heard rapid gunfire and then a small explosion erupted in the center of camp. Ranger grinned, he'd bet the Porsche that was Tank's doing, and took the opportunity to pull him and Rae into a small shed at the edge of the clearing.

Gunfire pelted the shed in barely missing them. in the distance they heard another explosion, and then an eerie silence. Ranger motioned for Rae to cover him as he slid out of the shed running in a crouched zigzag motion. Rae was not far behind him. He made it to the first tent, checked it and found it was empty. He nodded to Rae and moved slowly toward the next one. He made it halfway across the path, when he heard the rifle crack. Rae immediately returned gunfire picking off the assailant as she saw Ranger crumple to the ground.

"I've got a man down," she screamed. Taking cover behind an overturned jeep, she quickly reloaded her gun, her eyes never leaving Ranger. She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, and quickly aimed her weapon in that direction.

"Freeze" She yelled, cocked back the hammer on the gun, pointing it directly at the man in front of her. Don't fuckin move!" She said, walking toward him.

"I have no intention of moving, my dear. I know when I'm outnumbered. I'm just happy I was able to take down the great Carlos Masono." He smiled. "My family will be very pleased."

Rae, shoved the man to the ground. And put the barrel of the gun to his head. She put her knee in the middle of his back, pinning him to the ground while she handcuffed him.

"Well will they be pleased, when I deliver your mangled body to them, Roberto? Will that make them happy too? I know it will make me happy, knowing I took out one of the biggest drug lords in South America. She said pulling back the hammer on her gun. Her finger sliding across the trigger, just itching to pull it.

"You wouldn't dare, you have too much, what do you say? . . . conscience, to kill me in cold blood. Besides, your company has captured us. There are no more of us. Your mission is complete. We well await our trial, after all that is your American way, is it not?" He laughed beneath the gun, although his fear was apparent.

Rae laughed softly, "You don't know me very well, Roberto. I'll sleep like a baby knowing the world is a lot safer without you in it. Besides I'm not American."

"Rae . . . Don't do it. He's not worth it besides. I'm not down yet." Ranger said, stumbling over to her.

Rae whirled around and took in her boss. His entire shirt was covered in blood and his color was more of a gray, then his usual café mocha. He started to fall, and she grabbed him under the arm and pulled him back up.

"Where are you hit?" She asked, trying to lower him to the ground. "Ranger look at me. Where are you hit?"

"Babe . . . "Ranger gasped. His breathing heavy. His eyes fluttering shut.

I looked across the table at Ranger. He dark eyes gazing at mine. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, as my bottom lip started to tremble. Something was not right. I snapped out of my thought as he reached over and picked up my hand, brushing it lightly with his lips.

"Babe, what's wrong," He asked.

"I...I ...don't know. I can't put my finger on it. I want to go home." I gushed. "Please, Ranger take me home."

"Shhh . . . "he said patting my hand. "It's okay. I'll take you home. Let me pay the check and we'll leave. Babe, it's okay."

Ranger motioned for the waiter and within minutes we were back in his car headed for the hotel.

"Ranger," I said, placing my hand on his thigh.

He looked at me and smiled.

"I'm sorry. I ruined a perfectly beautiful evening . . . I don't know what came over me." I said softly.

"It's okay." He said, "I was ready to get back myself."

I swallowed hard. This was going to be the test. I'm sure he would expect me to sleep with him. I mean we had slept together last night, even though all we did was sleep, and I'm sure he didn't bring me on a romantic trip for that. I stared out the window, watching the lights of the city fly by. What was happening to me? Was I too scared of being hurt to commit to Ranger? Why did this feel so wrong, when it had always felt so right?

"Babe, I think we need to talk." Ranger said as he pulled into the hotel. " We need to sort out your fears, but everything on the table, before we go any further. Something is bothering you. I like to find out what it is. Unfortunately I have to run back by Rangeman, there is a case their working on that I need to follow up on. Why don't you go up and make yourself comfortable and I'll be back in a couple of hours. Maybe then we can figure out what's bothering you."

"Okay," I said.

I grabbed my wrap and hopped out of the car. I gave Ranger a little finger wave and made my way into the hotel. I had two hours to figure out why Ranger didn't seem like Ranger. I entered our suite and threw my wrap on the chair and headed toward the bedroom. I started to undress when I noticed the message light blinking on the phone. I walked over, hit play, so that the message would play over the speaker phone. It was probably my mother, just another thing I needed to confuse the hell out of me. I sat down on the bed and listened. I almost fell off the bed when a sexy female voice played across the speaker.

"Hi Ric, this is Kim. Hal gave me this number and told me I could reach you here I'm so sorry to call you while you're away with Stephanie. I'm glad you finally told her how you feel about her. I am a little upset with you because you didn't stop in Miami on your way home. Cici, was really disappointed that she didn't see you this trip. She misses you, after all you're like a father to her. I know you must of had a good reason. Anyway, I was just calling to let you know I'm on my way to Trenton. Rhys is suppose to be there. I know, I should really give up on him after all it's been over ten years. It's just ... dammit Ric I still love him. And it was all a stupid mistake. I just wish he'd let me explain. I was hoping he was in Trenton to contact you, you know to make amends. I hate that my dumb ass mistake cost you your twin brother. I'm hoping that we can work together to convince him that he was wrong. I'm staying at Lisa's her number is 512-333-5555. Please give me a call when you get in. Love you."

I dropped my shoe and fell back on the bed. Holy shit! Ranger had a twin brother. Well that little liar. I'd asked him one time if he had a twin and he'd told me no. I wonder who the hell this Kim woman is, and how the hell does she know who I am? Thoughts started racing through my head at a speed almost to fast to process. Ranger had a twin that was in Trenton. Ranger seemed like a stranger to me. He was different, and it wasn't due to some freakin mission. No it was because he wasn't Ranger. He was Rhys. But why the hell would Ranger's twin brother want to seduce me? That didn't make any sense at all. And if this Ranger was Rhys, were was the real Ranger? Who was Cici? I hit the button and replayed the message, and copied down the number. There was only one way to find out. I jumped up off the bed and grabbled my cell phone and dialed the number.

"Hello," a lady answered.

"Hi, this is Stephanie Plum. May I speak to Kim, please?"

"Sure hold on." She replied.

A few minutes went by and Kim came on the line.

"Stephanie" She asked, "Omigod is there something wrong with Ric?"

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." I said, "I was hoping you could help me fill in some of the blanks. I think Rhys is here with me pretending to be Ranger, and I need to know why? Do you think you can help me?"

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. Then Kim blew out a sigh.

"Stephanie, I'm so sorry you had to get caught up in all of this. I had no idea that Rhys even knew you existed or I know Ric would have never kept this from you. I don't want to get into this over the phone, but the bottom line if Rhys is trying to seduce you. The reasons are long and very complicated. Can you meet me in Trenton tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. I want to get to the bottom of this. By the way who are you? And how do you know about me?" I asked.

I heard her laugh softly on the other end of the phone.

"That's another thing that's almost too complicated to explain over the phone. I'll give you the short version for now. I'm Ric's ex-wife. He's been very good to me and my daughter. We were married in name only. I'll explain everything tomorrow I promise. I'll call Hal and have him set up a place and time for us to meet, then I'll have him call you. Okay?"

"Okay.. But I still have to know..How do you know about me?"

"You're the reason Ric and I are divorced, and I'm sure you can figure that one out." She laughed, hanging up the phone.

I closed my cell phone and fell back on the bed. Kim was wrong. I couldn't figure anything out. I was pretty much clueless when it came to Ranger. And now I had his twin brother trying to seduce me.

Cripes! I had forgotten all about that. How the hell was I suppose to ward off the advances of someone that I was suppose to be in love with, without them knowing that I knew who they really were? I rolled my eyes, and punched the pillow beside me. Even for my life this was really fucked up. I thought, closing my eyes, and praying for tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 8**_

"_Where are you hit?" Rae asked, trying to lower him to the ground. "Ranger, look at me. Where are you hit?"_

"_Babe . . ." Ranger gasped. His breathing heavy. His eyes fluttering shut. _

Rae sat back on her heels and watched as Tiina assessed Ranger's condition and worked feverishly to staunch the blood flow from his wound. She worried her lower lip with her teeth as she thought, "There's too much blood. It's just too much."

Tiina looked up just as Tank and Gentry came running across the clearing. Tank just looked at Tiina as he wordlessly asked for a report. With a grave look on her face, she shook her head once and said, "We have to get him out of here…fast. There's only so much I can do. He's losing too much blood. I can't seem to stop it."

Gentry said, "We'll be ready to leave in less than five minutes. Can you stabilize him enough to move him and be ready to fly?"

Tank nodded, "You get the bird ready, we'll have Ranger ready." He then turned to Tiina and said, "Tell us what to do."

_I closed my cell phone and fell back on the bed. Kim was wrong. I couldn't figure anything out. I was pretty much clueless when it came to Ranger._

_And now, I had his twin brother trying to seduce me. Cripes! I had forgotten all about that. How the hell was I suppose to ward off the advances of someone that I was suppose to be in love with, without them knowing that I knew who they really were. I rolled my eyes, and punched the pillow beside me. Even for my life this was really fucked up, I thought, closing my eyes and praying for tomorrow. _

_**Meanwhile...**_

Deciding that I can't stay here any longer, I sat up on the side of the bed. I can't pretend that Rhys is Ranger. I've got to get out of here. I've got to make some sense out of this.

I looked at my watch, calculating how much time I had before Rhys would return. Running around the suite, I gathered up my things and threw them into my suitcase. I wasn't worried about packing nicely, I just wanted to get out of there before he returned.

Jotting a quick note to leave behind for Rhys to find, I apologized for cutting our time together short and told him Mary Lou had called and there was a minor family emergency. I told him I was taking the train back to Trenton, there was nothing to worry about and that I would talk to him when he returned.

With thoughts tumbling over and over in my head and my suitcase trailing behind me, I left the hotel in a rush for the train station. According to the concierge on duty, I had just enough time to make the next departure.

As I leaned my head against the window and watched the night stream by me, I blew out a sigh and watched my breath frost on the window. Idly, I drew my finger through the moisture as I replayed the conversation with Kim over and over in my head. She said I was the reason they were divorced, even though they were married in name only.

Even more confused than before, I sat up with a start as I looked at what I had drawn on the window. Like a lovesick schoolgirl, I stared at the image before me, a heart with an arrow through it and the initials R&S inside. As it slowly faded away, I wondered to myself if we would fade away before we ever had a chance at a beginning.

An hour later, I let myself into my apartment. I left my suitcase on the floor beside the door and stripped off my clothes as I made my way to my bedroom. I was tired and I had a headache from all the thinking I had done on the train.

Tomorrow morning, I would call Hal and set up the meeting with Kim. Tomorrow, I was going to find Ranger and get some answers.

Rhys quietly let himself into the hotel suite. He was hoping that Stephanie was already asleep and he could avoid any contact with her until morning.

All the lights were on, but there was no sign of Stephanie anywhere. He looked around the room and walked to the open door of her bedroom. The bed had not been slept in.

Beginning to worry that something might have happened to her, he walked to the desk and that's when he saw the note. He shrugged his powerful shoulders and blew out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to face her until he got back to Trenton. This reprieve would give him a chance to figure out how to proceed next with his plan.

He poured himself a drink and turned to look out the window. It was then that he noticed the blinking light on the telephone that signaled a message. He hit the speaker phone button and punched in the numbers for it to play back.

As Kim's voice spilled out into the room, a longing filled Rhys' heart. The anguish of a true love lost reached out and swept over him once again. The only woman he had ever loved. The feeling of betrayal had almost killed him at the time. In one fell swoop, not only did he lose the love of his life he also lost the person he was closest to in this world, his twin. That special bond between them was severed for all time and he had lost a piece of his soul. He had never felt complete since that time.

The rage and sorrow drove him for the next several months. He did foolish things and took careless risks, only wanting to hurt everyone he came into contact with. Then, one day it all caught up with him and he landed in prison. Kim and Ric both had tried to reach out to him once again, tried to make him believe that CiCi was his child, that Kim only loved him and that she had not betrayed him with his own twin brother.

Fury and grief were his constant companions in his cell. He spent all of his time, plotting and scheming of ways to get back at both of them. When he was about to be released and he found out that Ric was in love with Stephanie Plum, he knew he had found the perfect payback for his perfect brother.

Standing there with Kim's voice wrapping around him like a caress, he knew in that moment that she still loved him. He could hear it in her voice. Knowing that she thought she was talking to Ric, he knew she was telling the truth.

Rhys realized that he didn't hate her in spite of everything he had told himself over the years. He let his love for her wash over him and wipe away all of his misgivings.

She had always told him she knew the difference between them and that she couldn't sleep with Ric. She said she had only insisted that Ric stay that night because he was so drunk. She has always sworn that CiCi was his daughter, not Ric's.

In one gulp, Rhys drank the remaining whiskey in his glass. As he felt the slow burn slide down his throat and then pool in the pit of his stomach, he felt the final piece of ice that enclosed his heart melt away.

_I have a daughter_, he thought to himself. _I've missed so much. We've all paid a huge price for my jealousy and bitterness._

The ring of the telephone startled Rhys from his deep reverie. Thinking it might be Kim calling again, he quickly snatched up the receiver.

Breathlessly he said, "Hello? Kim?"


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 9**_

_Tank nodded, "You get the bird ready, we'll have Ranger ready." He then turned to Tiina and said, "Tell us what to do."_

The chopper skimmed through the night sky, winging its way like a large black bird against the pale bright stars. Tiina looked up and met the eyes gazing back at her. She had walked up to the cockpit to give Tank and Gentry an update on Ranger's condition. She knew they would want to know.

Would he make it? Would he live to see tomorrow? God help her, she didn't know. She'd done all she could do under the circumstances. She wasn't a surgeon, she didn't have the proper facilities. She felt so helpless.

The bleeding had stopped, but the injury was severe, critical. Time was the enemy. Precious time. If they made it to the hospital in time, there was a chance. But even that was slim.

Tank's voice sliced through the silence. "It's bad. I can tell. Is he still…?"

The strong soldier's voice cracked when he asked Tiina about his brother.

"He's stable. Rae's with him," Tiina replied. Then she asked, "How much longer until we get to Miami?"

"About forty five minutes…maybe less," Gentry answered.

"Make it less," Tiina snapped out as she turned around and walked back to her patient.

Tiina walked up to Rae. She put her hand on her shoulder as Rae was holding Ranger's hand, tracing circles over his palm. Her gaze never faltered, never wavered from his face, it was as if she willed each breath he took.

"You know…he saved me. He gave me a chance, when no one else would. Ranger's the only one that ever had faith in me. I...don't think I can stand it if he..." Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face.

"Shhh...Tell me. Tell me about how he saved you," Tiina said gently, trying to distract her from falling apart.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rae began to speak, "I was eighteen when I first met Ranger. He had just married my cousin. I was in a bad relationship, living with a man who was verbally as well as physically abusive.

"Ranger and Kim helped me get out. They gave me a place to stay, made me go to college, and even paid the tuition. Then after he started Rangeman, he offered me a job."

In a voice so soft, Tiina had to strain to hear her words, Rae added, "If it hadn't been for Ranger, I'd probably be dead. He was so good to Kim and Cici.

"I just wish Stephanie would wake up and see what's right in front of her. He loves her so much."

"You know about Stephanie?" Tiina asked with surprise.

Rae rolled her eyes, and grinned through her tears.

"Doesn't everyone, who has seen the way he looks at her? He thinks it's this big secret, that no one knows the great Manoso is in love. The only one that doesn't know…is his Babe. They deserve each other.

"Oh God…Tiina, what are we going to do if he doesn't make it?" she cried.

"Babe," Ranger whispered as he stirred restlessly.

"Shhh...it's okay. Ranger.." Rae murmured softly as she squeezed his hand.

Ranger rolled his head in her direction, struggling to open his eyes. He stared at Rae through glassy eyes. He coughed and then wheezed in pain as a slow trickle of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth. With a trembling hand, Tiina patted the blood away.

"Babe...need to tell you…" he gasped.

Tears welled in Rae's eyes.

"He thinks I'm Stephanie," she mouthed glancing over at Tiina, their eyes locking with the same realization.

"Go along with him. It will help calm him down, give him some peace," Tiina said softly.

Rae nodded her agreement and turned back to Ranger.

"It's okay, Ranger. I'm here. Just relax. You're going to be fine. We'll be at the hospital soon and you'll be fine, just fine." She gently wiped the sweat that had begun to bead on his brow.

In a raspy voice, he said, "I...meant to tell you, so many times. The cop...you always went back to the cop."

"It's okay...I know," Rae whispered brokenly.

"It was always you...Babe...no one else...not since that night...only you…no one else for me, forever."

Ranger coughed again. His eyes fluttered closed, and his breathing became more even more labored.

"Don't leave me. Hold on." Rae sobbed as she held his hand, anchoring him to this earth.

"Love you, Babe. I…I…so tired...can't..." he gasped as he faded out of consciousness.

Rae looked up at Tiina as she was frantically checking his vital signs.

"Do something," she wept as she begged. "Please, don't let him die."

_Time...we're running out of time_, Tiina thought to herself as her mind raced through the options open to her to try to save Ranger before it was too late.

_The ring of the telephone startled Rhys from his deep reverie. Thinking it might be Kim calling again, he quickly snatched up the receiver._

_Breathlessly he said, "Hello? Kim?"_

"Rhys? Oh, thank God. I caught you," Kim said as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Kim, we really need to talk," Rhys began.

"Not now, Rhys…Ranger is."

"Can't you just forget about Ranger for once? I need to talk about us," Rhys grated out between clenched teeth.

"I do too, Rhys. I want to talk about us. But this is important, Ranger is…"

"God dammit, Kim. I can't believe you're going to put him before us now. What the hell is it this time? What is so fucking important that we have to talk about it right now?"

"Ranger's been shot. It's really bad this time. Tomas called. They are expecting the chopper to land, any minute now. But…"

Rhys closed his eyes and whispered, "But…what, Kim?"

"But he may not survive the trip," Kim wept softly on the other end of the phone as she added, "It's not good, Rhys. He's not expected to make it."

Kim took a deep breath before she continued, "I've arranged a flight for you to Miami. There's a ticket waiting for you at the airport. But, you have to hurry."

Rhys dropped to his knees as he reeled from the impact of what he had been told.

_He's not expected to make it. He's been shot._ Kim's words kept echoing over and over through his mind. _Christ, what was he going to do? Was he going to lose his brother again? Would he lose him before he could make his peace with him?_

"Rhys, baby, Rhys are you there?" Kim's voice resonated from the telephone and drew Rhys back to the present.

"Yeah, I'll meet you in Miami," he said. "I'll leave immediately for the airport."

And then, just because he finally realized that life was really too short and the ones you truly loved could be snatched from you in an instant, he softly added, "I love you, Kim. I always have."

_Tomorrow morning, I would call Hal and set up the meeting with Kim. Tomorrow, I was going to find Ranger and get some answers._

As Stephanie struggled up from a deep sleep, she wondered if the pounding in her head was from the headache she had when she fell into bed. Slowly, she realized the pounding was coming from her door.

_Who in the world would be pounding on her door in the wee hours of the morning like this?_ she wondered as she dragged on a pair of sweats.

She snagged her gun from the nightstand by the bed as she walked out of her bedroom.

"Who is it?" she yelled as she walked to the door.

"It's Hal, Miss Stephanie. I have to speak with you right away."

Confused and still stupefied from being dragged out of a deep sleep, Stephanie stopped and stared at the door.

"Please, let me in. It's about Ranger. I have to talk to you about Ranger."

The sound of Ranger's name galvanized Stephanie into action. She quickly threw the locks on the door and wrenched it open. At the sight of Hal's pale and drawn face, she took a step back.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"It's Ranger. He….he…."

"What's happened to him?" she snapped at Hal.

"He's been shot. They're flying him to Miami now. Tank radioed in and told me to bring you to Miami. He thinks you should be there."

"Is he going to be okay?" she whispered.

Hal rolled his eyes wildly around the room looking for an escape. Finding none, he looked back at Stephanie as he wished the floor would open up and swallow him. He wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Answer me, Hal. Is he going to be okay?" Stephanie asked again.

"They're not sure. He might not survive the flight."

"Nooooo," Stephanie moaned as the gun dropped from her nerveless fingers to the floor.

_I can't lose him now_, she thought. _I've loved him for so long. I can't lose him before I have a chance to tell him. Please God_, she fervently prayed as she turned to get dressed.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: We're just borrowing some of the Plum characters from Janet for fun and added some new ones to spice things up a bit. We're not out to make any money and we'll return Ranger when we're finished (if we have to).**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 10**_

_Time...we're running out of time, Tiina thought to herself as her mind raced through the options open to her to try to save Ranger before it was too late._

Gentry had radioed ahead and alerted the staff of the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami that they would be arriving shortly. Tiina had provided them with details of Ranger's injuries so they knew what preparations to make. She had advised them about his condition and what she had been able to do for him thus far. The crack team of specialists was impatiently waiting on the rooftop helipad as the chopper landed on the pad.

Before the helicopter touched down, Rae and Tank yanked the door open. Even before the rotors began to slow, the resuscitation team reached for Ranger. Making their swift descent to the Center, they shot rapid fire questions to Tiina about what had happened.

As Gentry revved the copter and took off again, Rae and Tank ran behind them trying to understand what was being said. When they reached the trauma center, Ranger was whisked away for a more in-depth assessment of his injuries. Blood tests, x-rays, ultrasound and other scans were utilized to provide information and formulate a treatment plan.

The doctors and nurses moved as if in a choreographed dance. Their movements were quick and efficient as they began to monitor various body functions and evaluate the damage Ranger's body had sustained.

Rae and Tank stood in the center of the hallway and looked around helplessly as they anxiously wondered what to do next, aside from waiting. The unusual peacefulness of the night had been broken by Gentry's transmission notifying the hospital of their impending arrival. An empty, sterile waiting area yawned before them.

Moments later, Tiina stumbled out of the door that sealed off the trauma center from the corridor. Through the tears that streamed down her face, she gazed helplessly at them and began to sob.

"Nooooo," Rae moaned as she looked at Tiina, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Wha..." Tank had to clear his throat and begin again.

"What's happening?" he asked as he gathered Tiina into his arms and held her close.

"He…he just coded," she gasped. "They made me leave."

"Tank, help him," she pleaded as she gazed helplessly up at him.

Tank swallowed around the lump in his throat as a single tear slowly slid down his cheek. He held out his other arm and scooped Rae close to him.

The three of them stood in the empty corridor clinging to each other, knowing that Ranger was currently engaged in his fiercest fight ever. Tank had stood by his side countless times as they fought together in the heat of battle. They had risked their lives for each other. They had been wounded together.

But this time, Ranger would have to fight alone. This time, Tank was unable to stand beside him and do his best to protect him. This time, he wasn't able to take the bullet in his place; he could only stand and watch, powerless with his inability to take action.

Lifting his face heavenward, Tank closed his eyes and sent his prayer spiraling up from his heart, begging for the life of his friend, his brother.

"_Yeah, I'll meet you in Miami," he said. "I'll leave immediately for the airport."_

_And then, just because he finally realized that life was really too short and the ones you truly loved could be snatched from you in an instant, Rhys softly added, "I love you, Kim. I always have."_

Rhys made it to the airport without a second to spare. As the plane winged its way southward, memories washed over him. Sharing a womb with someone creates a connection, a special bond that only exists between the two affected.

It was as if they shared one mind, split in two. After years of knowing what the other was thinking and of completing each other's sentences, Rhys had missed Ric in an indescribable way when they became estranged. The loss of his twin had impacted him in many ways.

They were two hearts that pulsed in time with each other. One would beat and the other would answer. After the night Rhys had stormed away from Ranger and Kim, there was no answering thud. There was only a vacant space after each beat of his heart that echoed expectantly for the counter riposte.

The emptiness threatened to consume him over the years. With only anger and hurt to keep him company, the time had passed slowly and bitterly.

In the darkened interior of the plane, Rhys gazed into the dark void beyond the wing. As the first tear slipped down his cheek, he felt the icy grip of hatred around his heart warm and loosen further. Each tear cleansed him as it fell, allowing him to begin the process of healing. As he felt his hatred slip into the night, borne away by the jet stream as it flowed past, his heart began to pick up a familiar echo. It stuttered at first, long pauses between each beat before it settled once again into a strong and steady rhythm.

So much had happened between the brothers. Rhys thought that their bond had been severed. As he winged his way across the sky to his brother's side, he discovered that it had only been stretched to the limits of its endurance. Their connection was tenuous but still intact.

Scrubbing at the tears on his face, he urged the plane faster and faster through the night.

"_Answer me, Hal. Is he going to be okay?" Stephanie asked again._

"_They're not sure. He might not survive the flight."_

"_Nooooo," Stephanie moaned as the gun dropped from her nerveless fingers to the floor._

_I can't lose him now, she thought. I've loved him for so long. I can't lose him before I have a chance to tell him. Please God, she fervently prayed as she turned to get dressed._

Woody picked up Kim. They met Hal and Stephanie at the airport. Introductions were hurriedly made as they wound their way through security. Hal spoke to Gentry on the phone as they made their way through the concourse.

"Ranger's at the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami," he told Stephanie and Kim when he finished his conversation.

"Gentry doesn't have any details. All he could tell me is that Ranger was still alive when he dropped them off at the helipad on the roof.

"Tank's not answering his phone. I assume he has it turned off while he's inside the hospital. We'll know more once we land on the ground in Miami."

Stephanie and Kim nodded as they prepared to board the plane. Woody and Hal took their carryon luggage and stowed it in the overhead compartments.

Settling into their seats, Stephanie stole a couple of side glances at Kim. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. Her sleek blonde beauty would make a perfect foil to the darkness of Ranger's features. Why Ranger would want her when he could have Kim just didn't make any sense to her.

Sighing dejectedly as she sat down and fastened her seat belt, Stephanie looked up at Kim's amused chuckle.

Kim sat down in the seat beside her and then said, "Ric loves you, Stephanie. And yes, I'm sure. I'm sure of it because he told me."

As the plane slowly began to taxi out to the runway, Stephanie stared at Kim and thought to herself, _well, this is going to be an interesting flight._

The plane engines revved as it began rolling down the runway gathering speed as it went. Climbing into the night sky, Stephanie looked out the tiny window and watched as the lights of the city fell away beneath them.

Everyone on the plane settled in for the flight. As the lights dimmed in the cabin, books were opened, hushed murmurs of conversation quietly buzzed and soft snores filled the air. Stephanie looked back and saw that Hal was settled in for a quick nap. Woody was flirting with the cute girl across the aisle from him.

Sitting back in her seat, she found Kim watching her with a steady gaze. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay, tell me everything."

Kim smiled and with a faraway look in her eyes, she began to tell Stephanie about her life with Ric.

"I've always been in love with Rhys. Sometimes I think I was born in love with him. I have no memory of a time before Rhys.

"Our families lived on the same street. Rhys and Ric were a couple of years older than me. I can remember standing in my yard, watching them ride their bikes down the street, too old and way too cool to notice me. But, even then I knew in my heart he was the one, the only one for me.

"I worshipped him from a distance. I watched them play tricks on people as they pretended to be each other. But I always knew. I always knew which one was Rhys. He wasn't able to fool me.

"Rhys and Ranger both treated me like their little sister. They tormented me and protected me. I trailed after them everywhere that they'd allow it.

"Eventually, I grew up, developed boobs, got out of braces and learned how to flirt. I asked Rhys to be my date to a school dance. He finally agreed to do it after some pressure from Ric.

"I still remember the look in his eyes the night he showed up at my door to take me to the dance. It's like he was looking at me for the first time in his life. He was so handsome in his sports coat and tie.

"He kissed me for the first time after the dance. I can still feel the magic as it sparked and tingled in the air around us. After that night, we were inseparable as a couple.

"Rhys and Ric finished high school and went off to college. They were two hours away. Rhys came home every weekend to see me. The separation was almost unbearable. It was as if a piece of my soul was missing when we were apart.

"It was the end of my senior year in high school. I went to visit my friend Terri. She attended the same college as Rhys and Ric. Rhys was out of town on a school trip. He told me he would see me the next day."

Kim's voice trailed off into a whisper. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes as she gazed unseeingly at the darkness beyond the window behind me. Emotions chased across her face as the pain of this memory was laid bare for me to see. After a moment, she shook herself from her reverie, flicked her eyes to me and then resumed talking.

"Ric, Terri and I decided to unwind that night, really blow off some steam. We went out drinking and dancing. Ric was drinking heavily that night. He became quite enthralled with a curly headed, blue-eyed girl he spied across the room. He just kept staring at her while he ignored Terri.

"Terri got pissed at him, so we left the bar and went back to Rhys' apartment. Once we got there, Terri just wouldn't let it go. She kept on and on at Ric until he finally blew up at her. They had a huge fight and Terri stormed out of the apartment, leaving Ric behind.

"He wasn't in any shape to drive, so I insisted that he stay at the apartment with me. I told him he could sleep on the sofa.

"It had been a long, grueling week for me filled with exams and I was exhausted. I took a shower and went to bed. When I woke up late the next morning, Rhys was standing over me with a rage in his eyes that I had never seen before. As he stood there, he began to shout. He said things to me, called me names I never thought to hear cross his lips. I had no idea what was going on.

"When I tried to sit up in the bed, that's when I noticed Ric. He had stumbled in sometime during the night and crawled in bed with me. He had his arm wrapped around my waist and was snuggled up to me as if we were lovers.

"Ric was so drunk he didn't know what he was doing. He had continued to drink after Terri left and I went to bed. Hours later, there in the harsh light of day he was still dead to the world.

"I begged Rhys to listen to me. But he wouldn't do it. He screamed, he shouted. He told me he knew that I had always wanted Ric instead of him. He said Ric was in love with me, that we had played him for a fool for the last time.

"I was crying, trying to get him to listen to me. Ric was still passed out on the bed and wasn't any help. Rhys shoved me and then stormed out of the apartment leaving me on the floor as I pleaded with him to believe me.

"When Ric finally sobered up, he didn't believe me when I told him how upset Rhys was at finding us together. He laughed and told me that Rhys knew both of us better than that, that he'd be back once he calmed down.

"A week passed and Rhys still hadn't returned. Ric began to search for him but couldn't find a lead on him. His parents were worried sick. They hired detectives, even filed a missing persons report. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.

"About a month later, I discovered I was barely 18, pregnant and Rhys was still gone. I was devastated and had no idea what I was going to do. My parents weren't the type to be very understanding about a situation like this.

"In a fit of hysterics, I confided in Ric. He convinced me that the best thing for me to do was to marry him. At this point, we didn't know if Rhys was even alive. Marrying Ric would make my parents happy and give my child the Manoso name she deserved. It would be a marriage in name only. We agreed that if either of us ever fell in love with someone, we would get a divorce to allow that one to pursue a relationship.

"I knew I would never be the one to ask for a divorce. The only man I would ever love was Rhys. He had left me and took my heart with him.

"I agreed to Ric's plan and we were married shortly after that. The same day we spoke our wedding vows, Ric told me he had enlisted in the army. He left for basic training the next day. Since he now had a family to support, he took his responsibilities seriously.

"Four months later, Rhys blew back into town. He took one look at my round belly and saw the ring on my finger. Drawing his own conclusions, he called me a whore and said he didn't have a brother any more. He said if he ever saw Ric again, he would kill him and my child would be fatherless. Then he turned and walked away from me without a backward glance. Unable to speak, I watched him as he walked away…from me, from our child and from our future.

"Depression and devastation swirled so thick around me I was unable to move for days afterward. I continued to stay with my parents. Ric barely made it back in time for Cici's birth. Cici knows who her father is and that Ric is her uncle.

"Several years later, we found out that Rhys was in prison. Ric and I got permission to visit him. I begged Rhys once again to believe me, to listen to me. I took him pictures of Cici. But the venom was still there. I could see the hatred in his eyes as he looked at both of us. After that, he refused to see us. So, eventually we quit going.

"Ric and I have a comfortable friendship between us. He was there in my time of need and stood by me when I had no one else to turn to. I've hoped over the years that Ric would find someone he could love as much as I loved Rhys. I wanted that happiness for him. I wanted him to know the magic of true love.

"But love always seemed to elude him. Oh, there were women over the years. I knew about them. I also knew none of them meant anything to him. They were just a convenience, a way to soothe a need."

Kim halted her story and took a sip of her drink before looking directly at me and continuing.

"Love always seemed to elude Ric, until a few months ago. He came to visit Cici and me one weekend. Just before he left to return to Trenton, he told me he wanted a divorce. I was shocked but I was elated for him, Stephanie.

"Ric told me he was in love. He sounded like a giddy teenager as he told me he had finally found the mate to his soul. He said that she had always wanted to fly and that he was going to help her do just that. He told me that she accepted him for who he is, that she was able to slip past the barriers he kept up.

"The joy that colored his voice and the light that shone from his face told me everything I needed to know. For the first time in his life, Ric was truly, madly, deeply in love. He loves you Stephanie like he's never loved before."

I felt the breath leave my lungs in a whoosh and black dots began to dance before my eyes. I felt Kim's hand on the back of my neck, urging my head down between my knees and her voice telling me to breathe as I struggled for air.

_Ranger loves me_, I thought. _This is what he meant when he told me there were things I didn't know about him._

_He loves me. He loves me._ The words cart-wheeled through my head and filled me with joy and anticipation.

As I felt the plane begin to make its descent, I was jolted back to my present reality. Looking out the window, I saw the lights of Miami glimmering in the distance like a jewel set on black velvet.

_Please God, let him be alright._ I silently prayed as I watched the lights of Miami draw closer and closer. _Please don't take him away from me now._


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: We don't own the characters, they're not ours. Rhys is though. And even though he's not Ranger...he sure is nice to look at.**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 11**_

_Please God, let him be alright._ I silently prayed as I watched the lights of Miami draw closer and closer. _Please don't take him away from me now._

Mesmerized, I stared blankly out of the hospital window as the rain pelted against it. Whenever I thought about it, I'd always associated sunshine and bright skies with Miami. But it had been raining since I had arrived at the hospital.

As if the weather reflected the color of my soul, it was dark, dreary and cold. I watched intently as a single drop of water wound its crooked trail down the window pane. A drop fell onto my hand. I was puzzled at first because I thought the rain would feel cold. This was warm. Then I realized it wasn't the rain, but my tears. Ranger was dying. My world was falling apart. I had never felt more helpless and alone than at this moment.

Leaning my head against the window pane, I closed my eyes as my mind replayed the memories of the last few hours . . .

"_Before you go in, Ms Plum, there is something you need to know." _

"_What?" I snapped. I needed to see Ranger. I needed to tell him how I felt. There wasn't anything else I needed._

"_Mr. Manoso is in very critical condition. It's only because of the excellent response of his team that he survived the journey to the trauma center. His wound was very grave and he has lost a lot of blood. I'm surprised he has held on this long. You need to prepare yourself."_

"_Prepare myself?" I said softly, "Prepare for what?"_

_Taking a deep breath, I looked closely at him and asked, "And just who the hell are you anyway? I was told Dr. Manoso was handling his brother's case." _

"_Ahhh, I'm afraid he was removed by the Chief of Staff. Tomas was quite distraught over his brother's condition. We felt that it was best he be removed."_

_Then, drawing himself up to his full height, he haughtily added, "My name is Dr. Stetson. I'm a surgeon from New York and my credentials are impeccable. I happened to be in Miami for a conference. Dr. Long asked me to step in and provide Mr. Manoso with the best possible care."_

_He paused, glancing at the chart in his hand and then looked back at me. His eyes were a clear crystal blue. But they were flat, cold and sterile like the walls that surrounded us. I shivered as I looked at him and thought, "There's no compassion in this man."_

"_As I was saying, Mr. Manoso is critical. Medically speaking, we've done all we can for him, but I'm afraid it hasn't been enough. The odds are stacked against him._

"_I've asked that his family be called in to say their goodbyes. I was told you were closest to him. I'm asking you to please make it brief to allow the others an opportunity and to allow Mr. Manoso to rest as much as possible."_

_Volatile emotions seethed and brewed beneath the surface as I glared back at Dr. Stetson and said, "I can assure you that I have Ranger's best interests at heart. I love him. I love him very much._

"_As for saying goodbye, that's something we never do. Ranger has never said good bye to me. I'm not saying good bye to him…ever. He'll beat your odds, Dr. Stetson. Count on it." _

_I turned and made my way into Ranger's room. Pausing in the doorway, I felt my heart stutter before it resumed beating as I looked at him laying there, pale and lifeless, unmoving…so very still. Holding my breath, I waited to see if he was breathing. I blew out a sigh of relief as I heard the steady whoosh of the respirator going up and down. I made my way slowly to the bed, almost afraid to see what lay before me._

_Tears welled up in my eyes, as I saw the man I loved so deeply fighting for his life. He looked so young, almost innocent. Surrounded by the sterile white sheets and pillows, his long silky black hair framed his almost angelic face. He was wrapped in a jungle of wires and tubes, unable to breathe on his own. A tube was taped to his mouth as the machines around him worked to keep him alive. The steady slow beep of his heart monitor reassured me that he was alive._

_But he looked as if he'd already slipped away. Oh God, no. I felt the bile rise into my throat. For the first time, I realized that damn doctor might be right…he might not pull through this time. I grabbed his hand and brought it up to my lips, kissing it gently. I held it to my cheek for a long moment as I willed my life force into him._

_I felt the tears start to fall as I slowly sank into the chair beside his bed. Holding his hand in mine and slowly tracing circles in his palm, I began to quietly speak. I had so much to say, so much to tell him. Would I have another opportunity? Would there be enough time for me to let him know of my feelings?_

"_Ranger . . . I love you," I whispered._

_There…I thought that would be scary, admitting it out loud like that. But it wasn't. It just felt right._

"_I'm so scared. And the thing is I don't have you to turn to this time. I need you to get better. The doctor told me that you're not doing very well."_

_My voice cracked and I stifled a sob as I added, "He said that I need to tell you goodbye. The problem is…I can't do that._

"_I can't imagine my world without you in it. I'm not sure I can make it without you. Oh God, baby, please wake up," I sobbed. _

_Laying my head down on the bed, I tightly clutched his hand to my heart. I never wanted to let him go. I was afraid if I lost contact, I'd lose him forever. I closed my eyes. As I listened to the whirring of the machines, I held on for all I was worth._

_Several minutes later, that's where Tank found me. He lifted me up and carried me back into the waiting room. Cradling me in his arms like a small child, he wrapped his arms around me. He held on tighter and tighter as I started to shake, waves of tears streaming from my eyes._

_Sobbing uncontrollably, I began to bang my fist against his rock hard chest, screaming Ranger's name over and over until I was finally overcome with exhaustion. Tank gently brushed back my hair and I felt a wet cloth wiping the remaining tears off my face. I closed my eyes and leaned closer into his arms. My remaining strength was offered up in silent prayers of hope that the man of my dreams would hold me once again._

Startled by the touch of a hand on my shoulder, I blinked as it brought me back into the present. I turned and looked into the sad eyes of Ranger's twin. Sighing softly, I held out my hand. Rhys took it and pulled me into his arms as he whispered over and over just how sorry he was.

"How is he?" I asked.

"About the same. Kim wanted me to check and see if you would come home with us."

I shook my head no.

"He'd want you to get your rest, Steph."

"No," I said firmly. "He's never left me when I was in trouble. I'm not leaving him now.

"I'm afraid if I do..." I couldn't finish my sentence as I began to sob once again.

"Shhhhh..he's holding his own. There's been no upgrade in his condition, but no downgrade either.

"Are you sure you won't come home with us?" Rhys pleaded again as he rubbed his hands up and down my back.

"No…I'm not leaving until he wakes up," I said firmly.

"Okay, then," Rhys said. "Call me if there is any change. Tank, Bobby and Lester just stepped down to the cafeteria. They'll be back in a minute.

"Kim and I are dropping Woody and Hal at the airport. They need to get back to Trenton."

A dark pair of eyes studied me. They reminded me of the eyes that I wanted to see staring back at me once again. I asked Rhys, "What about the rest of the guys?"

"Gentry took Rae home. She lives here in Miami. Tiina and Tomas are crashing in the doctor's lounge. Tomas wants to be close in case anything happens.

"He's a little miffed at me right now, so I can't get a lot of information from him. But hopefully in time, I'll be able to mend those bridges too.

"I've made so many mistakes, I just hope . . ." Rhys' voice trailed off as tears welled in his eyes.

I took his hand in mine and squeezed it tightly. "They love you. All of them. When everything gets back to normal, there'll be a chance to make your peace then. I'm sure there will be a homecoming like you have never seen before."

Rhys smiled tightly and took me into his arms, hugging me close to him. He kissed me on the top of my head and walked toward the door.

Turning back, he looked at me and added, "Call me as soon as you hear anything."

"I will," I said. Sinking back down on the couch, I closed my eyes and hoped I would dream of happier times.

Woody and Hal loaded their carry on bags into the overhead compartment of the airplane. Before sitting down, Hal reached into his bag and rummaged around trying to find his Gameboy. Instead, he pulled out a woman's handbag with a red lacy bra snagged on the side of it.

"Oh shit," he whispered.

"What?" Woody said, looking up at him.

"I got Stephanie's bag by mistake. This is all her stuff in here. Her wallet, her cell phone...er...um...birth control pills, her bra and panties."

"Man, you better high tail it back to the hospital and put that shit up. You don't want the boss' woman's business displayed for the entire world to see. What the fuck is your problem?"

Hal blushed as he crammed the items back into the satchel. He mumbled something to Woody about seeing him back in Trenton. Then he explained to the stewardess that there was a problem and he'd have to take a later flight. With a deep sigh, Hal departed the plane and headed back to the hospital to return Stephanie's bag to her.

"Steph... Steph...wake up." I felt my shoulders being gently shaken.

"The doc is on his way. Something has happened," Tank said as his heart nearly broke at the words. He knew. He'd been down this road before. He knew what the doctor was coming to tell them.

Tank choked back his grief and helped his best friend's love to her feet. He would be responsible for her now. Ric would want that. Tank would make sure she was well-taken care of.

I struggled to open my eyes. The moment I met Tank's eyes, I knew Ranger was dead. My world started spinning like an out of control merry go round. From a distance, I heard someone scream with grief. It was a cold, blood curdling scream so full of sadness and pain, my heart exploded with grief. Moments later, I realized it had been me.

Detached, I watched as the scene unfolded before me. It was as if I was on the outside looking in. Tank, Bobby and Lester circled around me, shielding me from the onslaught of nurses scrambling into the room as each one tried his best to offer me his comfort and condolence.

A cold, harsh voice jerked me back to reality. I turned and looked into the steely blue eyes of Dr. Stetson.

"Ms Plum, I'm sorry for your loss. I tried to prepare you. Mr. Manoso was very weak. He was too weak to recover. We did everything we could, but he just wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry but he passed away, a few minutes ago. We've contacted his brothers, they should be here shortly."

Before anyone knew what was happening, I reached out and slapped him.

"MY RANGER IS NOT WEAK!!" I screamed.

"He's not dead. He's not dead," I kept mumbling as I felt myself crumble into a million pieces. As I sank down onto the floor, I hoped and prayed that it would just swallow me, that it would make this nightmare go away.

Lester dropped down beside me and pulled me into his arms. I felt him start to shake as sobs racked his body, as the loss of his brother over took him. Tank and Bobby soon joined us. Sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by the safety of their arms, we grieved for the man we had all known and loved.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to us. We'll put them back. Put Ranger back, Sheila. Yes, he has to have clothes on. sigh**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 12**_

Looking around furtively, Dr. Jeff Stetson rubbed his jaw as he entered the special elevator at the end of the corridor. Punching in a special code, the elevator descended to a private sector of the hospital. His mind replayed the events of the last few hours.

Stephanie Plum was certainly everything that her file said, and more. He grinned to himself. She was one helluva woman. It was a damn shame he couldn't get to know her under different circumstances. He would have really liked a taste of that. After all, Ric wouldn't be in the way anymore.

The elevator door opened. Dr. Stetson stepped out into a large underground intensive care unit. It boasted maximum security and was fully staffed by Federal agents. It had been set up years ago as a secure place to house a material witness or federal agents who had been injured in the line of duty.

As soon as Manoso had been brought in, Dr. Stetson had received his orders. He was to make Manoso disappear. On the pretense of attending a seminar in Miami, he just happened to be in the area and available to handle the case. The government had worked out a deal with a certain mob princess. A trade…information on a highly wanted drug lord, for Manoso.

Rounding the corner of the unit, Dr. Stetson entered the room where his patient lay fully sedated. He checked Ranger's vital signs and made a notation in his chart. Then he looked up at the beautiful blonde standing before him. He'd met her a few years ago in New York. Sexy…beautiful…deadly, the three things he found most appealing in a woman. He had been attracted to her instantly.

"Did they buy it?" she purred.

"Why wouldn't they?" Dr. Stetson replied. "We have created the perfect illusion. We gave them exactly what they were expecting, a critically ill man on the brink of death.

"Of course, in reality he was no where near death. He was gravely injured in that fire fight but he had excellent care immediately. That's what kept him alive until he reached the trauma center. As soon as I got him into surgery, repaired the damage and replaced his blood volume, he was out of the woods.

"He should begin to make a full recovery once the sedation is lifted."

"When do you think we can transport him?" she asked as she brushed a strand of Ranger's hair away from his eyes.

Dr. Stetson looked at his chart, "You can leave with him within the next half hour or so. I've already removed all of the unnecessary tubes and wires. He's been breathing on his own since the surgery. He wasn't really hooked up to the respirator. It just looked that way for Ms. Plum's benefit.

"Rivers called and said the van is on its way. Ranger will need to stay at the compound for the few weeks necessary for him to make a full recovery. After that, I'll release him. And then…he'll be all yours."

Lightly trailing a well-manicured fingernail down Ranger's thigh, she laughed softly and said, "All mine. You're all mine now. That slut Stephanie will never have you."

"Do you think he'll go along with this set up? Do you honestly think he'll agree to stay dead?" Stetson amusedly asked as he watched her fondle the unconscious man.

"Yeah, I think he will. He loves her. If he returns to Trenton, she's dead. It's that simple. So it's better for everyone all around. Stephanie Plum gets her payback from me. And me….hmmmm, I get to play with Batman."

Stetson laughed and shook his head. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She fucked the love of my life on a bakery floor. She seduced him and took him away from me. He never was mine after that. Even now, he runs from my bed to hers whenever she crooks a finger.

"Then if that wasn't enough, she was the reason Ric broke up with me all those years ago in college. There is just something about that bitch that has men falling all over themselves.

"She deserves every ounce of pain I can give her. Hell, I'd planned to kill her, but Rhys fucked that up. Thankfully, the stupid bastard called to tell me Ranger was injured and where they were bringing him. I had to scramble to put this plan into motion quickly enough.

"But this works out so much better . . . I just wish I could be around to watch her grieve," she added in a hard voice.

"So, now you're in love with Manoso too?" Stetson asked.

"Oh please, after Joe, I never fell in love again. Ric was just a good way to pass the time during college. After we broke up, I got married and forgot all about him. Until I returned to Trenton, that is, after my divorce. But by that time, he was already goo-goo eyed over that slut, Stephanie. Now that she's out of the picture, I'm sure I can entice him back into my bed."

Stetson had been watching the play of emotions across her face. Then, his eyes fell to her perfect boobs as she licked her lips and said, "I bet he's a delicious fuck now. That stupid slut could never keep up with a man like him.

"Either way, he's mine now. He would never risk her life, not even if it meant sacrificing his own. Such a pity to waste such loyalty and such a fine specimen of a man on a piece of trash like her," she added as she shrugged a shoulder.

"Excuse me, Dr. Stetson. Mr. Rivers is here to pick up the patient," said the small blonde nurse that came to the door of the room.

"Okay, Rita. Go ahead and give Mr. Manoso the two injections I already ordered. Call Charlie to wheel him to the transport bay."

The nurse nodded meekly, turned and left to do his bidding.

"Oh, what about his body? Won't the family be asking for it to be released to them?"

"I'm sure they will be asking for it right away. His brother, the doctor, was very shocked when I called with the news. Tomas and his fiancé had left the hospital to secure a change of clothes. He insisted on Ranger's body immediately being locked down in the morgue. No one was to touch his precious brother until he returned to the hospital. There will be some additional red tape created for him to sort through. And of course, the body will have been cremated by the time he works through it.

"A mysterious but regrettable mix up in the morgue. What can we say, it happens all the time," Stetson added with a smile.

"Brilliant." She nodded satisfactorily and then added, "I'll see you at the compound then."

"Yes, I should be there by nine."

"Good, maybe we can have a late dinner and catch up. I've missed you," she purred as she lightly ran a hand across his chest.

"Sounds like a plan," Stetson agreed as he brushed his lips across her cheek.

"Now run along, Rivers is waiting for you at the dock. Our patient should be down shortly and you can be on your way."

Hal circled the hospital for the third time.

"Dammit," he yelled as he threw the map across the dash and threw the SUV into park.

_This has to be the most fucked up day of all times_, he thought to himself as he leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

_Where in the hell is the East Lobby?_

Lifting his head, once more he scanned the parking lot of the massive medical center in front of him.

_Well, this doesn't look familiar at all. It looks more like some type of loading dock._

He picked up the map of the hospital from where it had fallen onto the floorboard.

As he studied the map, he thought, _that's strange. This area isn't even on the map. Maybe I could ask the driver of that van. He looks like he's waiting for someone._

Opening the door of the SUV, Hal was about to swing out of the driver's seat when suddenly he stilled. Movement beside the van had caught his eye. A door in the wall close to the van opened. A gorgeous blonde woman walked out carrying a small overnight bag. A tingle of familiarity indicated to him that he should know who she was. But he just couldn't put a name with the face at the moment.

Hal's attention was drawn away from the beautiful woman to the gurney that followed behind her that was being pushed by an orderly. His eyes grew wide as he recognized the body that was being loaded into the unmarked van.

_Fuck . . . it's Ranger!_ Hal thought frantically. _What the hell is going on?_

When Hal had left the hospital earlier, Ranger was in critical condition and no one had said anything about moving him someplace else.

Hal's thoughts wildly raced, _If Ranger is being moved to another facility, where's his family? Where's Tank? Where's Stephanie?_

_This feels wrong_, Hal thought as he watched the blonde lightly caress Ranger's face. Then she leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

_Stephanie wouldn't have let Ranger out of her sight. And she certainly wouldn't be letting that blonde woman fondle and kiss him on the lips like that_, Hal fumed as he quietly closed his door.

Hal grabbed Stephanie's bag from the back seat. Digging frantically through her things, he threw panties and bras on the floor of the SUV. Finally locating her cell phone, he powered it up and was relieved to see that it was fully charged.

As the van pulled away from the loading dock, Hal followed it. As they merged onto the highway into the traffic, Hal dropped two cars back. He wasn't going to lose them until he knew just what the hell was going on. He needed to let somebody else know about this. Someone who could make some decisions.

Scrolling through the contacts in Stephanie's phone, he located Tank's name. Praying that the big man had his phone turned on, Hal punched the button and waited for him to answer.

Just as Tank's phone kicked over to his voice mail, the woman's identity clicked into place. Hal gasped as his suspicion that something was wrong was confirmed just by knowing who she was.

_What the hell was she doing in Miami?_ he thought as the beep sounded in his ear.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to us. We'll put them back. Put Ranger back, Sheila. Yes, he has to have clothes on. sigh**_

Illusions

_**Chapter 13**_

Lester and Bobby walked out into the late afternoon. They stood outside the door and waited for Tank and Stephanie to catch up with them. Lester looked up at the sky and blinked back the tears.

_Awwww, Ranger_, he thought. _How the hell did it all come down to this?_

Turning, he watched as Tank and Stephanie walked out of the hospital. As a dazed and numb Stephanie stumbled on the curb, Tank steadied her and then picked her up. Hiccupping on a sob, she snuggled into the big man's chest. Lester knew Tank was hurting too but he would be the solid rock Stephanie needed for as long as she needed him.

Falling into step with Tank, the three of them walked out to the black Navigator. Tank gently deposited Stephanie in the passenger seat and then buckled her seatbelt. She raised her hand and stroked his cheek as she smiled wearily at him.

Tank patted her hand and smiled back as he said, "We'll get through this, Stephanie. We've got each other to lean on."

Stephanie nodded weakly as her hand dropped away and a fresh wave of grief washed over her. Tank sighed as he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. He got in, cranked up the vehicle and then he just sat there for a moment staring out across the parking lot.

"Where are we headed now?" Lester asked from the back seat.

"To Kim's house," Tank answered as he drew his cell phone from his pocket. "Everyone is meeting there and then we'll decide what to do next. Tomas and Tiina are coming back to the hospital before they join us at Kim's. He wants to see Ra…Ranger."

Tank stopped and cleared his throat as he struggled to regain his composure. He stared at his cell phone for a long moment before he remembered that he wanted to call Lane.

"I should call Trenton and let them know what's happened," he mused aloud. As he waited for his cell phone to acquire a signal, Tank looked over at Stephanie. She was huddled against the door. Sniffles had replaced the soul rending sobs from earlier.

In the quiet cocoon of the vehicle, the voice mail alert sounded loud and harsh. Tank sighed as he hit the speaker phone button and then pressed okay to play his voice mail. He smiled as Lane's voice filled the vehicle and surrounded him with its comfort. Her love poured over him as he listened to the brief message that said she was thinking of him. Tank clamped down hard on the gut-wrenching sob that threatened to escape. He knew this was neither the time nor place to indulge his own grief. He had things to take care of for Ranger. The first thing he had to do was take care of Stephanie.

As the next message began to play, Tank frowned, Lester and Bobby sat forward in their seats, and Stephanie stirred from her position.

In an excited, breathless voice Hal said, "Tank! Stephanie! I don't know what's going on…I picked up Stephanie's bag by mistake…I saw someone taking Ranger out a back door of the hospital…I didn't realize I had her bag until I was on the plane…It's that woman, that blonde woman, who got into the vehicle with Ranger…I came back here to bring Stephanie's bag…but I got lost….that's when I saw them…Ranger looked asleep…he was on one of those roller bed thingies…But it looked strange…I didn't understand why that mob lady, that Terri Gilman, would be taking Ranger out of the hospital like that…I don't know…maybe I've screwed up again…they just looked like they were up to something so I…." beeeeeeep!

Tank swore as the message was cut off. Lester and Bobby looked at each other and both of them said, "What the hell?" Tank raised his hand to silence them as the next message began to play.

"Tank! It's me again…Hal…like I was saying…it looked suspicious so I decided to follow them. I don't know what's going on. I only hope I'm doing the right thing. I'm using Stephanie's cell phone. It was in her bag. Tell her I'm sorry for digging through her things…she has such pretty lacy bras…but I thought this might be an extreme circumstance and she wouldn't mind. I hope you get this message real soon 'cause I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do next. Call me."

As Hal's message ended and Tank flipped his phone closed, the four of them sat in stunned silence. Three pairs of eyes jerked to Stephanie's face at her sudden intake of breath.

"Is it possible?" she whispered as her eyes flitted wildly from Tank to Lester to Bobby and then back to Tank once again.

Tank said, "I don't know. But, we're sure as hell going to find out."

Turning to Lester, he nodded and added, "Get it online and get me some information."

Happy to be in action once again, Lester dragged his laptop out and booted it up as Tank hit the button to dial Stephanie's cell phone.

Hal answered on the first ring and immediately began to speak, "Tank! I'm so glad to hear from you. I didn't know what to do."

Tank interrupted him, "Where are you?"

"Well," Hal said, "I don't really know. We've made so many turns that I don't know where I am now."

With a grunt of frustration, Tank turned to Lester and asked, "Have you got him yet?"

Lester shook his head, "Not yet. I had to acquire a satellite feed first. It's coming up now. Give me just a minute."

"What exactly did you see, Hal? Tell me."

Hal recounted for Tank everything he witnessed and how it made him suspicious. When Hal was finished, Tank snarled incoherently.

"Did I do the right thing?" Hal questioned nervously.

"Yeah, you did good, Hal. When this is over, Ranger will be one happy man that you followed your instincts."

"Got him," Lester said.

Tank turned so he could study the computer screen. The GPS tracker that was located in Stephanie's phone was now signaling its position to them.

"Hold on, Hal. Just don't lose them. We're on our way. Hang with me until Lester locks in on your location. Give us a few minutes.

"Bobby, get Gentry on the phone. Bring him up to speed and give him Hal's current location. Tell him we're going to need him and Rae. Then you need to advise the rest of the family about what's going down."

Bobby was already dialing before Tank finished speaking. Feeling better now that he was taking action and satisfied that a plan was in motion, Tank settled back into his seat and caught sight of Stephanie's pale face. He picked up her ice cold hand in his and held it for a moment.

"It's going to be okay, Stephanie. We're going to get him back. I promise you."

Stephanie smiled and said, "You're damn right we are. The only thing I ask is that I get a shot at Terri. That bitch is mine."

Tank smiled, "That's my girl. Let's go get Ranger."

As he began to pull forward out of the hospital parking lot, Tank said, "Lester, I need some directions. Which way do I go?"

"Hold on man, give me a minute," Lester said, his fingers flying across the keyboard in front of him.

"I've almost...come on, dammit." He banged the side of the laptop and then said, "Got it. Go north on NW 12th toward 19th. Turn left on NW 20th then take a left on NW 17th. Looks like they're traveling south toward...well, hell, it looks like he's in Homestead. You know the area man?"

"Yeah, somewhat. It's close to the beach right?" Tank asked.

As Lester nodded, Tank said to Hal, "We've got your location now, buddy. Don't take your eyes off that van. I'm going to let you go for now but you call me if anything else suspicious happens. We're headed your way. I'll check in on you later."

Tank looked over at Steph and grinned. She squeezed his hand tightly as one thought ran through her head over and over. _Ranger is alive_.

Lester watched the small blip on the screen as he tracked Hal's car moving slowly through traffic.

"We're about twenty-five miles behind them," he said. "You need to merge on to 836 up here. Bobby, have you been able to get in touch with Tiina or Tomas yet. Tiina has a top security clearance and knows every in and out of that hospital. It's possible she may know where they're taking him."

"I'm getting everybody's voice mail, Tiina, Tomas, and Gentry. It seems like everyone is out of pocket. Well except Rae, I got hold of her. She was thrilled at the news, and wants in on the rescue. She said Gentry was called out to fly a DEA agent to New York. But she expects him back later tonight."

As Bobby closed his phone, he added, "I did leave a message for Tiina to call us asap."

"I don't get it," Stephanie said. "Why would the FBI or DEA or whoever the hell you guys work for want us to think Ranger was dead? I mean do they think he would go along with something like that? Let his family think he was dead?"

"He would," Tank said slowly, "if the situation called for it. If he thought the people he loved would be in danger, he would pay the price. He would give up his happiness to protect the ones he loved."

"But why? Why would they agree to do it? I mean I can understand Terri. She's hated me since I was sixteen. But for the life of me I can't understand a federal agency going along with some bimbo's plan of revenge."

Tank blew out a sigh. "I don't know how much Ranger has told you. Hell, knowing the man he hasn't told you anything, but he's very, very good at what he does. He's one of the best in the world, an asset at every agency he worked.

"But he was ready to quit. The higher ups were enraged. They couldn't understand why someone with his _talent_ would just walk away.

"I was there for the meeting," Tank said as he cut his eyes to Stephanie. "He told them he was ready for today to be _someday_."

Soundlessly, Stephanie stared at Tank as she remembered Ranger's words of a few months ago. _Someday_, he had said to her. _Someday_.

_Oh my god_, she thought, _he was ready for someday to be today_.

"This would be the perfect opportunity for them to stop him from leaving," Tank continued. "If they could get you out of the way, then he would have no reason to quit."

Bobby's cell phone rang. As he answered it, he said, "It's Tiina."

Shaking his head as he flipped his phone closed, Bobby said, "Tiina checked with her best friend, Liz, who works in a place know only as the compound. It's located in Homestead.

"This morning they were supposed to have an arrival, a man matching Ranger's description and injuries. The case was marked top secret. She told Tiina it was handled oddly, because she was called in from vacation to handle the case. Her boss said they needed her because of her security clearance. When she reported in for duty, she was told he had been transferred elsewhere and her services weren't needed after all.

"As far as Tiina and Liz are aware, this compound was the only high security recovery center in the Miami area. If Ranger was transferred elsewhere, then he was either flown out of state or taken to a private residence."

"Well, thank God we have Hal trailing him," Lester said. "They could be taking him anywhere.

"Okay, it looks like we have a location. Hal has been stopped at this point for the last five minutes. Hmmmm...but that's a little odd," Lester mused as he typed rapidly trying to focus more tightly on the coordinates and bring up a map.

"The location, well Hal seems to be in the fucking Everglades. Tank, get Hal on the line. We must have a glitch in the program."

Tank picked up his cell phone to dial Hal but was startled as it rang. He looked at the read out and smiled.

"Speak of the devil." He hit the speaker and answered the incoming call.

"Yo, Hal, my man...you got a location on the boss?"

"Er...ummm...well you see, sir...I…I didn't know I was going to be traveling all over Miami when I rented this SUV. And, well the clerk, yeah, the clerk gave me a gas ticket. I had enough gas to make it to the hospital and well, you see, I'd planned to fill up on the way back to the airport."

"FUCK!!" Tank bellowed. "Hal, tell me you didn't goddamn lose them. Tell me you didn't fuckin lose Ranger."

"I...I...I, well, yes sir. I lost them, sir. About five minutes ago, my SUV started stalling. I had to coast over to the side of the road. I jumped out and tried to run after them. You know, the traffic was slow and all. I ran over an old lady walking her dog. She hit me with her purse. She hit me really hard and it sort of dazed me a little. That's when I lost them. I wasn't able to keep up with them. I'm really sorry."

There was a slight pause and Hal asked tremulously, "Do you think the boss will be mad?"

Tank pounded his head against the steering wheel as Bobby and Lester swore vehemently from the back seat.

Stephanie felt her heart begin to break all over again, but then she blinked back her tears and pulled herself together. This was not the time to fall apart. It's not the end of the world, only a minor set back. Because of Hal, they now had the knowledge that Ranger was still alive and out there…somewhere. They just needed to find him and then go bring him home.

Stephanie laid her hand on Tank's thigh to get his attention. She cleared her throat and then answered Hal in a clear, strong voice that belied how shaky she felt inside, "Hal, its okay. You've done your best. I'm sure Ranger will understand. He'll appreciate your quick thinking back at the hospital. Lester has your location. We'll be there in about twenty minutes.

"You've given us hope, Hal, when we had none before," she added softly as tears brimmed in her eyes.

Tank disconnected the phone, and took Stephanie's hand in his.

"We'll find him, Stephanie. Don't worry. Ranger taught us all his tricks," Tank said.

"Well, almost all of them," he added with a big grin.

Stephanie smiled back at Tank as a look over determination overtook her face.

"Damn Skippy! We'll find him! There isn't a place in the world that bitch can hide him for long from us.

"After all, I always get my man. And Ranger's mine."

As Stephanie looked from one grinning man to the other she added, "And when we find him, I get fifteen minutes alone with Ms. Gilman. She needs to be taught a serious lesson and I plan on it being one she'll never forget.

"Now, let's go get Hal. Then we'll scramble all our resources and figure out where that bitch is hiding my man."

Tank shook his head as he laughed and said, "Babe, you never disappoint."

Terri idly glanced across the ocean through the open window and watched as the last golden rays of the sunset played across the ocean. She blew out a sigh and sipped slowly at her wine.

_Things were going just as planned_, she thought. Ranger was tucked away safely in her bed waiting for her to join him. Of course, he didn't have any idea that she would be joining him, but she was sure she could overcome any of his objections.

Ranger should be ready to wake up soon. She would help him recover by kissing him awake. She would trail kisses across his thighs as she stroked his sac and slowly rolled it between her fingers. She moaned softly as she thought of Ranger's firm length pressed against her as she panted for him to take her higher and higher.

Terri shook herself from her reverie. Yes, they would have to take things slow and easier than she normally liked because of his injuries but she was sure she could get some satisfaction from this encounter, one way or another. He would grow stronger every day so that soon he would be able to pleasure her in the ways she liked.

And if he ever slipped up and called her by that bitch Stephanie's name, she would punish him. That could be fun too because punishment opened up a different but vast area of special pleasures.

Terri shivered as she remembered all the ways they had enjoyed each other all those years ago. Rhys was the only man, bar none, that had even come close to Ric's many talents in the bedroom. She might have to make a tape of her and Ric having sex and send it to that skank Stephanie Plum. Maybe date it right before Ric left on this last mission, she mused as she took another sip of wine. She laughed out loud at the idea. _It would serve that slut right_, she thought.

Finishing her wine, Terri placed the empty glass on the table next to the couch and rose from her seat.

_Time for bed_, she thought as a wicked smile spread across her face.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to us. We'll put them back. We promise! **_

Illusions

_**Chapter 14**_

Gentry walked into the dark apartment and tossed his keys on the kitchen counter. Without turning on a light, he used the light from the street outside to make his way into the bedroom. He was emotionally as well as physically exhausted. There was nothing like hearing your best friend was dead but then finding out he was really alive but still missing to put a strain on the old emotions. Hell, it sounded like a damn soap opera. Add to that the fact that he had logged over twenty hours of flight time in the last two days and he desperately needed some sleep. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get much rest anytime soon. He had to meet Tank and the rest of the crew in about four hours to begin the search for Ranger.

Pulling his shirt over his head, he balled it up and threw it on the floor as he blew out a heavy sigh. Raising his arms above his head, Gentry rolled his broad shoulders and stretched as he walked into the bathroom.

_Where the hell was Ranger?_ Gentry knew that the guys upstairs didn't want to lose Ranger as an agent, but fuck. Kidnapping? That was a little on the extreme side, even for them.

Unlacing his boots, he quickly shed the remainder of his clothes and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. He felt the steaming water sluice over him and hoped it would wash away the stress of the day.

Ten minutes later Gentry walked out of the bathroom, pulled on a pair of boxers and crawled into bed after setting the alarm. Falling asleep immediately, he was startled awake when his cell phone rang. _Ranger,_ he immediately thought as he picked it up from the nightstand. He frowned when he saw the caller id.

"Yeah…"

"Gentry, Captain Powell here. I need you to fly a federal witness and her fiancé to the Cayman Islands. They'll be staying at a safe house there until I can get their paper work in line to be transferred to a safer location."

"No can do, I just logged twenty hours of flight time. I'm grounded for the next forty eight hours.

"Call somebody else," Gentry added on a huge yawn as he prepared to flip the phone shut.

"Wait! Your flight time has been waived in this extreme emergency. Because of your security clearance, you are presently the only pilot we have that is available to fly them out of here. Time is of the essence. You must report to 234 Keystone Way first thing in the morning. They'll be packed and ready by then.

"Oh, by the way, the man has a gunshot wound. It's not severe but he'll need a nurse's care. You'll need your sister to fly with you."

Gentry's eyes flew open and his mind raced, putting together the pieces. Gunshot wound. Holy Hell . . . Ranger. It had to be.

"Oh, yeah, I'll get her to fly with me. Don't worry about that. We'll see that he's well cared for. I'll be there in plenty of time.

"You can count on me," he added with a smile.

Disconnecting the call, he hit Tank's number on his cell.

"Yo," the gruff voice sounded in his ear.

Gentry grinned to himself as he said, "I've got his location. Meet me in twenty in front of my apartment. Looks like we need to plan a surprise party."

Dressed in a low cut black negligee, Terry snapped the light off and walked out of the bathroom. The scent of Dolce Vita surrounded her and wafted in the darkness. She didn't really like the smell of it and wrinkled her nose as she crossed the room. But she thought it would help with her plan if at first Ranger thought she was Stephanie, at least until she could convince him she was better.

With only a thin shaft of moonlight for illumination, Terry stood beside the bed and let her gaze trace Ranger's sleeping form. The white bandage stood out in stark relief against his dark skin as his muscular chest rose and fell with each breath he took.

_The drugs should be starting to clear from his system soon_, she thought.

Pulling back the sheet that lay across Ranger's lean hips, Terry slid into the bed and pressed her body against him. She peppered small, light kisses along his shoulders and trailed her long slender fingers down his arm.

"Babe," Ranger murmured. Turning to pull her into his arms, he moaned with the effort and pain it cost him. Thinking he was moaning with desire for her, Terry smiled to herself as she snuggled into him and gently kissed his neck, delicately nipping at the skin.

"Hmmm...You feel different," Ranger mumbled as he struggled for consciousness.

Confusion from the lingering drugs in his system reigned, as Ranger sought to clear the cobwebs from his mind and his hands roamed over her body. Then he muttered, "Have you put on some weight?"

Terry sat up and glared at him. _Was he implying that she was fat?_

Ranger felt her tense and then sit up. As he attempted to draw her back down beside him, he whispered, "Shhh…Babe, don't go...don't leave me. Love you."

Terry smiled and lay back down beside Ranger.

_Oh, this was going to be easier than I thought. The fool thinks he loves her._

Even though he was weak, Terry was still able to admire the strength and determination in his handsome face as she traced her fingertips along the line of his lips. She leaned in and lightly brushed her lips across his. Pulling her closer, Ranger hesitated as she deepened the kiss.

Suddenly jerking away, Ranger sat up and stared at her, his face a mask of confusion and disgust. His eyes raced over her features. Fascinated, Terry watched as recognition flared and his face turned a sickly shade of green. "Nooo…" she mumbled, frozen into place. Unable to scoot away from him in time she stared in horror as Ranger swallowed hard and gagged. As if slow motion, she watched as he vomited…on the bed and all over her. And as always, his aim was deadly accurate.

Screaming curse words at him, Terry jumped from the bed. With her hands splayed out before her as she glared at him, her stomach did a flip flop. She swallowed back an urge of her own and then turned toward the bathroom. The sound of laughter stopped her in her tracks. Turning slowly, she looked toward the door. There, standing in the doorway was a rugged looking blonde haired green eyed man, who was trying to contain his laughter as he flipped the light switch. Soft light from the lamp on the dresser bathed the room.

"Who the fuck are you?" Terry screamed as tears rolled down her face.

"I'm your pilot. But I'm also one of Ranger's best friends. Look like he had some sort of reaction to your tongue being in his mouth."

Gentry smirked at Terry as he continued, "You know that kinda shit happens with him. It's the whole _body is a temple_ sort of thing. He can't let anything rotten past his lips. It'll make him puke every time."

"You. . . son. . . of. . . a. . . bitch," Terry spit out as she picked her gun up from the night stand.

"Whoa," Gentry said, lifting his hands before him. "Calm down princess. I was only joking. Besides, I'm not armed."

"Well, I'm armed," I said as I stepped from the hall and moved in front of Gentry. "But I'd rather rip your fucking bleached blonde hair out by the roots than shoot you. You're nothing but a two bit piece of mafia trash. Must you go after every man I'm with? Can't you get one of your own?"

Terry laughed, throwing back her head. "Well, that's priceless. You're calling me trash.

"Oh that's just too fucking good for words. This is coming from someone who spread her legs on the floor of a donut shop for anyone coming in to buy a pastry."

I walked slowly toward Terry as anger painted my face in cold, hot flames. The thought of wrapping my hands around that boney neck and twisting it until it snapped was very appealing at this moment.

Terry raised her gun as an evil smile lit her face and she said softly, "Die Bitch."

In an almost leisurely fashion as if in a dream-like trance, I watched the bullet hurtle through time and space toward me. Unable to move, unable to scream, images of my life flashed before me.

_The bitch shot me. She actually shot me._ A part of me knew that Gentry was moving toward Terry before I even began to fall.

My eyes flicked to Ranger's at the last instant and I felt all my love for him spill forth. The impact of the bullet knocked me off my feet and I hung suspended in mid air for only a split nanosecond but which felt much longer before slowly floating in slow motion toward the floor.

I heard Ranger's shouts fill the air as I hit the floor. My body bounced slightly and my head banged twice against the cold, hard wood of the floor. Unable to move, I felt my breath come in short erratic spurts as I felt a heavy deep pressure begin to bubble in my chest. Ranger suddenly appeared at my side and whispered my name. Tears formed in my eyes as I gazed back into the ones of the man I so desperately loved.

_Before we even had a chance, I've lost him yet again,_ I thought as I raised my hand and gently caressed his cheek as my world slowly faded into black.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to us. We'll put them back. We promise! **_

Illusions

_**Chapter 15**_

Clad in expensive hand-tailored trench coats, dark glasses shielding their eyes and reflecting the sunlight back to curious observers, the two men stood with faces carved of granite. Shoulder to shoulder and with identical blank faces in place, they intently watched the proceedings before them. Both were devoid of emotion as they somberly listened to the words of the funeral service that were meant to comfort them.

Staring into the distance, Gentry heard the priest commend her soul to God and her body to the ground. As the group solemnly watched the coffin being lowered into the freshly turned earth, he let his gaze lightly wander over each one.

Members of the Rangeman team lined the edges of the small crowd. Even in the sea of black clothing, they were still easily distinguishable by their vigilant bearing and watchful presence. Fashionably dressed in coats that were tailored to hide the weapons they were packing, Tank, Bobby and Lester stood off to one side of the family. Receiving no comfort from the words of the priest, their eyes were carefully observant of each person as they patiently waited for the conclusion of the service.

Having met Connie and Lula the previous day, Gentry easily picked them out of the assembled gathering of mourners. Teetering atop her Via Spiga heels and with an extravagant pillbox hat atop her head that was adorned with metallic trimming and a big bow, Lula looked quite stunning squeezed into her black spandex dress. Extremely sexy herself, Connie stood beside Lula in black four inch heels in a silk bustier that peeked out from beneath an elegant black suit jacket embellished with lacy inserts.

Letting his eyes continue to drift over the group of mourners, Gentry saw Rhys and Kim standing close together. As he watched them, Rhys reached for Kim's hand and squeezed it gently. It looked like things were finally going to work out for them. For the first time, they were going to be a true family. CiCi would have the father she'd always wanted.

It was about damn time. So many wasted years between them, he thought as his gaze flicked to where Ranger and Morelli stood close together. Looking carefully at Ranger, he was able to see the faint lines of pain and exhaustion that remained from his ordeal. His gaze then passed on to Morelli. One good thing that had come out of this nightmare was that they had buried the hatchet between them. Life was too damn short to be wasted on misunderstandings and petty grudges.

As the priest's voice intoned a prayer into the stillness, quiet sniffles sounded in the background. As the sniffles became full-out sobs, Gentry glanced over at the two men standing solemnly side by side behind the rows of chairs set out for the family.

Family members stepped forward as each cast a small handful of soil upon the coffin. At the first thud of dirt, the sobs became full out wails. There was a slight twitch at the corner of Ranger's mouth.

_If you didn't know him well, you would have missed it_, Gentry thought as he lifted a hand to rub his lips and hide the small grin there.

Lula rolled her eyes at Connie.

Tank, Lester and Bobby coughed lightly into their hands as Morelli shifted on his feet.

Opening his coat with one hand, Ranger reached out with the other and gathered the sobbing curly-haired brunette under his arm. The corner of his lips twitched once again and he gently kissed the top of her head. Then he softly said, "Babe."

My hands slid around his waist as I nestled closer and snuffled into his shirt.

"You didn't even like her," he added.

"I…I…know," I stuttered. "It doesn't really matter because funerals make me so…o…o…o s…a…a…a…a…a…d." Others turned to look at us as the last part came out on an extended wail.

Ranger put his fingers under my chin and gently tilted my head back until he could look into my eyes. Cradling my head in both of his hands, he soothingly wiped the tears away from my face with his thumbs. Smiling tenderly at me, he lightly kissed my lips before tucking me gently under his coat once more.

Joe nudged Ranger with his elbow and waited until Ranger cut his eyes to him before he said with a smirk, "Can't you do anything with your wife, Manoso?"

Laying his cheek against the top of my head, Ranger gazed back at Joe and asked, "Were you ever able to _do_ anything with her?"

Shaking his head as he fondly looked at the two of us together Joe grinned and said, "At least you're guaranteed that your life will never be boring."

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In a Waffle House restaurant tucked away in the Mississippi Delta, the woman with the mousy colored brown hair irritably grabbed the pen out of her uniform pocket as she glared at the muscular guy sitting at the counter before her.

_I have a right to be grouchy. My goddamned funeral was today_, she thought to herself. _If that damn slut hadn't been wearing a Kevlar vest, she'd be the one having a funeral. And now I have to stay in this god forsaken place until after I testify. Fuckin' Manoso and Morelli. If they have anything to say about when the case comes to trial, I could be here for years._

Popping her gum loudly, she whipped her attention back to the good-looking man before her and snapped at him in a harsh Jersey accent, "So, do ya want fries with that? Or what?"

"What's your name, sugar pie?" he asked in a Texas drawl as his eyes traveled lazily over her form beneath the rumpled, grease stained waitress uniform.

Terry felt her nipples stand at attention as she met the languid, hooded gaze of the man with sun-bleached hair that was long overdue for a cut. Her eyes took in the expensive cut of his clothes and the Cartier watch on his wrist. Chancing a quick glance out the window, she saw the silver Porsche Carrera parked in the slot in front of the door.

Perking up, Terry preened before him as best she could in the ill-fitting orange uniform with a glob of mustard on her right breast and orthopedic shoes.

Terry grimaced as she replied, "My name's Petunia. You're not from around here, are you?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "Nope. I'm originally from Texas but I live in Miami now. That's where I'm headed after I grab a bite to eat."

"Really! I just love Miami."

Terry sighed loudly and curled her lip as she added, "It's much more civilized than this place."

"I'm opening a new club in Miami. Next time you're down that way, stop in and see me. You know," he added speculatively, "if you fixed yourself up a little bit, you wouldn't look half bad, sugar pie.

"Hell, Petunia, I might even offer you a job," he added with a grin.

"Anything would be better than this hellhole," Terry said with a sneer as the shift manager gave her a nasty look along with a barked order to get back to work.

"So," she said as she turned back to him and batted her eyelashes, "what's the name of your club? And by the way, what's your name?"

He waggled his eyebrows at her as he said, "I'm going to call it_Melon Mongers_."

"Melon Mongers?" Terry mouthed silently.

Grinning as he nodded his head, he said, "Inspired, isn't it?

"Do you follow NASCAR?"

Bewildered by the abrupt change in subject, Terry slowly shook her head no.

"Well, I'm a NASCAR driver.

"I'm a celebrity. Think of me as NASCAR guy to the rescue.

"I'm Sam Hooker," he announced grandly. "Would you like my autograph?"

To Be Continued-Maybe...

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